Kirsten Georgi

🚢 River Cruise Wrap-Up: The Pros and Cons of River Cruising I learned a new acronym yesterday: BLUF. It stands for Bottom Line Up Front. I like it. So, BLUF: Would I go on another river cruise? No. Not unless I bring my own squad. Then, I would consider it. I'll explain. Now that I have a grand total of three cruises under my belt - two ocean, and one river cruise, I can say this with certainty: cruising is a catch-22. On the plus side, cruising allows you to see a lot of places in a short period of time.

🚢 River Cruise Wrap-Up: The Pros and Cons of River Cruising

I learned a new acronym yesterday: BLUF. It stands for Bottom Line Up Front. I like it. So, BLUF: Would I go on another river cruise? No. Not unless I bring my own squad. Then, I would consider it. I'll explain. Now that I have a grand…

🇺🇸 Some Good Trouble: A Quick Trip to Nashville  Made a quick trip to Nashville last week to meet our good friends - and get in good trouble. The first thing I put in my suitcase was my cowboy boots. I loooooove cowboy boots. But after a few hours on my feet, I quickly remembered why I don’t wear my cowboy boots for any extended amount of time. Hello, blisters. Two of them, one on each of my pinky toes. And once I get a blister, show’s over for the boots. Hence, the sneakers in the pic below. Broadway Street…

🇺🇸 Some Good Trouble: A Quick Trip to Nashville 

Made a quick trip to Nashville last week to meet our good friends - and get in good trouble. The first thing I put in my suitcase was my cowboy boots. I loooooove cowboy boots. But after a few hours on my feet, I quickly remembered why I don’t wear…

🇷🇴 Bucharest: A Herd Free Last Day I booked an extra day in Bucharest, so we’ve broken free of the herd - on our own today! Switching Hotels We’re switching hotels this morning. Not sure when/if I’ll be in Bucharest again, and I wanted to stay at the famous spy hotel, the Intercontinental Athénée. During much of WWII, Romania remained unoccupied and diplomatically connected to both Axis and Allied powers, making Bucharest - and the Athénée - a crossroads of spies, diplomats, journalists, and refugees. After the communists took power in 1948, the Athénée was nationalized and turned into a place where Romanian state security conducted active surveillance on guests.

🇷🇴 Bucharest: A Herd Free Last Day

I booked an extra day in Bucharest, so we’ve broken free of the herd - on our own today! Switching Hotels We’re switching hotels this morning. Not sure when/if I’ll be in Bucharest again, and I wanted to stay at the famous spy hotel, the Intercontinental Athénée.…

🇷🇴 Disembarkation Day: Bucharest and the Ghosts of Ceaușescu Good morning from Romania! Disembarkation day. Everyone off the ship, and onto the herd buses by 0745 for the 1-1/2 hour drive to Bucharest. Beautiful sunrise as we left the ship. The Herd Tour d'Jour Our herd tour today was 8-1/2 hours. This was 6-1/2 hours past my herd tour patience limit. Saw a lot of rural Romania on the drive to Bucharest: lots and lots of legacy communist structures in various stages of decay. Arriving into Bucharest - the architecture is definitely more attractive than what we saw in Serbia and Bulgaria.

🇷🇴 Disembarkation Day: Bucharest and the Ghosts of Ceaușescu

Good morning from Romania! Disembarkation day. Everyone off the ship, and onto the herd buses by 0745 for the 1-1/2 hour drive to Bucharest. Beautiful sunrise as we left the ship. The Herd Tour d'Jour Our herd tour today was 8-1/2 hours.…

🇧🇬 Ruse: The Little Vienna (?) of Bulgaria Good morning from Ruse, Bulgaria - about 75 kilometers south of Bucharest, Romania. Viking had the herd buses lined up and ready this morning. One was going to a monastery made out of rocks. Maybe interesting, but also a 2 hour bus ride. Pass. The other bus was a shuttle into town. Kind of a head-scratcher for us, since we’re only about a mile away from town - but walking a mile isn't in the cards for a lot of these folks. Ken and I would much rather walk, so we just waved to everyone as we set off on foot.

🇧🇬 Ruse: The Little Vienna (?) of Bulgaria

Good morning from Ruse, Bulgaria - about 75 kilometers south of Bucharest, Romania. Viking had the herd buses lined up and ready this morning. One was going to a monastery made out of rocks. Maybe interesting, but also a 2 hour bus ride. Pass. The other…

🇧🇬 Vidin, Bulgaria: Tracksuits, Roses, and an Underground Communist Toilet Good morning from Vidin, in the extreme northwestern part of Bulgaria, on the border with Romania. What to say about Vidin? If someone were to design a travel brochure for Bulgaria, Vidin isn't going to make the cover. Hell, I'm not sure Vidin would make page six. Vidin is one of Bulgaria’s oldest cities - an important medieval stronghold during the Bulgarian empires (yes, Bulgaria had empires). In the 20th century, Vidin developed into a regionally important industrial and port center, with state-owned factories that boosted its population to more than 65,000 by the late 1980s.

🇧🇬 Vidin, Bulgaria: Tracksuits, Roses, and an Underground Communist Toilet

Good morning from Vidin, in the extreme northwestern part of Bulgaria, on the border with Romania. What to say about Vidin? If someone were to design a travel brochure for Bulgaria, Vidin isn't going to make the cover.…

🇷🇸 Golubac, Serbia: A Demanding Hike & Scenic Sailing. PLUS: A Poll We’ve got white caps on the Danube today. Everyone is seasick. Kidding. Well, I overheard one lady say she was seasick. Not sure how. Being on a river boat is like sailing on glass. I think she might be confusing seasickness with some sketchy goulash. Viking's Demanding Hike Early this morning, Ken went on what Viking advertised as a “demanding” hike - to see Golubac Fortress and some extremely old rocks. Ken was motivated. He showed up in shorts and hiking shoes - ready to storm the castle and get a workout.

🇷🇸 Golubac, Serbia: A Demanding Hike & Scenic Sailing. PLUS: A Poll

We’ve got white caps on the Danube today. Everyone is seasick. Kidding. Well, I overheard one lady say she was seasick. Not sure how. Being on a river boat is like sailing on glass. I think she might be confusing seasickness with…

🇷🇸 Belgrade: Three Weddings and a lot of Gray We are docked in Belgrade, Serbia today. And we can walk into town from the port - no herd bus. Huzzah! If nothing else, I've learned a lot more about Eastern European / Balkan geography on this trip. Belgrade is located at the meeting point of the Danube and Sava Rivers. The Danube connects Belgrade eastward to the Black Sea, while the Sava links it westward - establishing the city as a vital crossing point for empires, cultures, and trade routes. I think we’ve cracked the code on how to get a small(er) group tour on a river cruise.

🇷🇸 Belgrade: Three Weddings and a lot of Gray

We are docked in Belgrade, Serbia today. And we can walk into town from the port - no herd bus. Huzzah! If nothing else, I've learned a lot more about Eastern European / Balkan geography on this trip. Belgrade is located at the meeting point of the…

📸 🇭🇷 Photo Essay: Croatia My Croatia photos are almost exclusively from our Danube River cruse visit to Osijek and Vukovar. I do have a few shots of Dubrovnik from a visit in 2022, but most of my photos from our day in Dubrovnik are not of the town, but of my daughter and her friend (we were there on a cruise celebrating their high school graduation). And they were both in their take 7,000 photos of me/us, but we will only like 2 of them era. And as much as the photographer in me wants to be using my Leica or my Nikon, you cannot beat the iPhone camera for convenience.

📸 🇭🇷 Photo Essay: Croatia

My Croatia photos are almost exclusively from our Danube River cruse visit to Osijek and Vukovar. I do have a few shots of Dubrovnik from a visit in 2022, but most of my photos from our day in Dubrovnik are not of the town, but of my daughter and her friend (we were there…

🇭🇷 Osijek & Vukovar: Homemade Brandy and the Scars of War Good morning, Croatia. Woke up to more fog, but prettier fog. Celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary today. I got Ken a very special anniversary gift this morning - Diet Coke for breakfast. We are docked in eastern Croatia along the Serbian border, in the town of Vukovar, which saw intense combat during the Croatian War of Independence in the mid-1990s. More on that in a minute. Osijek, Croatia First stop on today’s herd tour: Osijek. We took the herd bus to the Church of the Glorious Name of Mary (which sounds like something straight out of a Borat movie) and listened to a pianist/vocalist, who was very talented.

🇭🇷 Osijek & Vukovar: Homemade Brandy and the Scars of War

Good morning, Croatia. Woke up to more fog, but prettier fog. Celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary today. I got Ken a very special anniversary gift this morning - Diet Coke for breakfast. We are docked in eastern Croatia along the…

Photo Essay: Budapest & Hungary We spent four days in Budapest in advance of our Danube River Cruise. And as much as the photographer in me wants to be using my Leica or my Nikon, you cannot beat the iPhone camera for convenience. It has become my go-to travel camera - it fits in my pocket (or purse), weighs next to nothing, and it’s always ready. My current phone (the 13 Pro Max) does a great job at everything except zoom - it's abysmal at zoom. Before we leave for Japan in April, I'm thinking about upgrading to the 17 Pro Max.

Photo Essay: Budapest & Hungary

We spent four days in Budapest in advance of our Danube River Cruise. And as much as the photographer in me wants to be using my Leica or my Nikon, you cannot beat the iPhone camera for convenience. It has become my go-to travel camera - it fits in my pocket (or…

🍷 🇭🇺 What to Drink in Hungary: A Sip-by-Sip Guide to Hungary’s Drinks Culture I’ve been studying wine and spirits for over two decades. Whenever we travel, I’m obsessed with what I call drinks culture — what a country’s drinks reveal about its people, history, and habits. I’ve been known to order several drinks off a menu – just so I can taste them. And I could spend hours in the local grocery/wine/liquor store just studying the shelves. Ken is not as enthusiastic about this activity, so I usually send him off to climb a mountain or something. We spent four days in Budapest in advance of our Danube River cruise.

🍷 🇭🇺 What to Drink in Hungary: A Sip-by-Sip Guide to Hungary’s Drinks Culture

I’ve been studying wine and spirits for over two decades. Whenever we travel, I’m obsessed with what I call drinks culture — what a country’s drinks reveal about its people, history, and habits. I’ve been known to order…

Travel in Our Rearview Mirror: 2025 2025 was an ambitious travel year for us. We continue to enjoy the hell out of our retirement - trying to travel as much as we can. We have the time, and while both of us continue to enjoy good health (knock on wood, throw salt, and whatever other magical superstition applies), we'll continue this pace. Eventually, there will come a day when we slow down and stay put. But not yet. Checking in with Mr. Twain I love this quote from Mark Twain - because it so clearly captures why we travel.

Travel in Our Rearview Mirror: 2025

2025 was an ambitious travel year for us. We continue to enjoy the hell out of our retirement - trying to travel as much as we can. We have the time, and while both of us continue to enjoy good health (knock on wood, throw salt, and whatever other magical…

🇭🇺 Kalsoca, Hungary: Four Horsemen and a Babblefish Woke up this morning to a breathtaking view of … fog! Back on the herd bus (goodie) after breakfast for the 45 minute ride to our first stop. Woman across the aisle from Ken has not stopped talking since we sat down. How can anyone have this much to say about absolutely nothing before 0800?!? Csikos Horsemen of Kalosca Could be Kansas, but too many trees. First stop: the Bakod Puszta Hungarian Horse Farm near Kalocsa. It's a working farm on the Puszta (vast open plains) of Hungary. Think: Kansas. Herded off the bus and into a stadium, where we saw a demonstration the famous Csikos horsemen.

🇭🇺 Kalsoca, Hungary: Four Horsemen and a Babblefish

Woke up this morning to a breathtaking view of … fog! Back on the herd bus (goodie) after breakfast for the 45 minute ride to our first stop. Woman across the aisle from Ken has not stopped talking since we sat down. How can anyone have this much…

🚢 Embarkation Day: Irish Goodbyes, Tokaji Wine, and a Stolen Passport We were warned several times that we would be the youngest people on a river cruise. At first glance, can confirm this is true. Ken and I are both a little nervous about the potential for herd tourism on a river cruise - everyone following a guide carrying a flag on a stick. Neither one of us has the patience for that flavor and pace of activity. Follow the leader The Transfer This morning, we got on a giant tour bus at the hotel for our transfer to the ship. I don’t love giant tour buses, but they have to get all of us to the ship somehow.

🚢 Embarkation Day: Irish Goodbyes, Tokaji Wine, and a Stolen Passport

We were warned several times that we would be the youngest people on a river cruise. At first glance, can confirm this is true. Ken and I are both a little nervous about the potential for herd tourism on a river cruise -…

Slovakia: Mission Accomplished Budapest is only about an hour from the Slovakian border. So, I’m on a mission to visit Slovakia today. I'm a compulsive country collector. If I'm within an hour of a country I haven't been to before, take it to the bank - I'm going to try to get there. I'm not sure when or if I'll be back in this neck of Europe, so I need take advantage of my current geography. I booked a private trip (through Get Your Guide). Transportation only - no guide - from Budapest to Szentendre, Visegrád, and Esztergom, which is just across the Danube River from…

Slovakia: Mission Accomplished

Budapest is only about an hour from the Slovakian border. So, I’m on a mission to visit Slovakia today. I'm a compulsive country collector. If I'm within an hour of a country I haven't been to before, take it to the bank - I'm going to try to get there. I'm not sure…

🇭🇺 A Food Tour of Budapest: You Only Think You’re Full Today's activity: A food tour of Budapest with our charming local guide, Dorá. If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a firm believer that one of the best ways to get to know a country is by experiencing its food and (especially) drinks. Whenever we visit a new-to-us country, I always book an orientation tour on the first day, and a food tour the second day. We've had such good luck with food tours on our trips. For our food tour bookings, I have used both…

🇭🇺 A Food Tour of Budapest: You Only Think You’re Full

Today's activity: A food tour of Budapest with our charming local guide, Dorá. If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a firm believer that one of the best ways to get to know a country is by experiencing its food…

Did You Know . . . ? A Day Exploring Budapest with Hungary’s Own Sheldon Cooper Walking orientation tour of Budapest this morning, led by Ádám - affectionately known (by me) as Hungarian Sheldon Cooper. This man has an encyclopedic knowledge of Hungary, which he shared with us - in its entirety. Ádám delivered facts in a rapid-fire cadence that was both impressive and overwhelming all at once. Did you know… Hungary invented computers? Neither did I. But according to Ádám, Hungarians invented pretty much everything. And if they didn’t invent it first, they perfected it later - therefore, they invented it. To wit: the telephone.

Did You Know . . . ? A Day Exploring Budapest with Hungary’s Own Sheldon Cooper

Walking orientation tour of Budapest this morning, led by Ádám - affectionately known (by me) as Hungarian Sheldon Cooper. This man has an encyclopedic knowledge of Hungary, which he shared with us - in its entirety.…

🇹🇷 🇭🇺 Istanbul to Budapest: A Security Surprise, Bullet Holes & Wine Tasting Phone. Wallet. Passport. On the move today. New experience unlocked: in Istanbul, you have to go through a full security check just to enter the airport. They aren't messing around. But they are also not especially organized. A massive crowd, and total confusion about which line you're supposed to be standing in. Good times. So, heads up - if you’re flying out of Istanbul, arrive early. Really early. Finally at our gate, I got my hopes up that this might be Turkish lemon Fanta. It was not. It was Turkish lemon tea.

🇹🇷 🇭🇺 Istanbul to Budapest: A Security Surprise, Bullet Holes & Wine Tasting

Phone. Wallet. Passport. On the move today. New experience unlocked: in Istanbul, you have to go through a full security check just to enter the airport. They aren't messing around. But they are also not especially…

📸 🇹🇷 Photo Essay: Istanbul, Türkiye We were on the ground in Istanbul for less than 48 hours. There was A LOT to absorb - overstimulating is probably the right word. I felt like I was taking pictures of everything and nothing at the same time. And as much as the photographer in me wants to be using my Leica or my Nikon, you cannot beat the iPhone camera for convenience. It has become my go-to travel camera. It fits in my pocket (or purse), weighs next to nothing, and it's always ready. A few closing thoughts on Istanbul:

📸 🇹🇷 Photo Essay: Istanbul, Türkiye

We were on the ground in Istanbul for less than 48 hours. There was A LOT to absorb - overstimulating is probably the right word. I felt like I was taking pictures of everything and nothing at the same time. And as much as the photographer in me wants to be…

🍷 🇹🇷 What to Drink in Istanbul: A Sip-by-Sip Guide to Türkiye’s Drinks Culture I’ve been studying wine and spirits for over two decades. Whenever we travel, I’m obsessed with what I call drinks culture — what a country’s drinks reveal about its people, history, and habits. I’ve been known to order several drinks off a menu – just so I can taste them. And I could spend hours in the local grocery/wine/liquor store just studying the shelves. Ken is not as enthusiastic about this activity, so I usually send him off to climb a mountain or something. We were only on the ground in Istanbul for 48 hours - I did my best with the drinks.

🍷 🇹🇷 What to Drink in Istanbul: A Sip-by-Sip Guide to Türkiye’s Drinks Culture

I’ve been studying wine and spirits for over two decades. Whenever we travel, I’m obsessed with what I call drinks culture — what a country’s drinks reveal about its people, history, and habits. I’ve been known to order…

🇹🇷 How Much Can You Cram Into a Single Day in Istanbul? Buckle Up. We covered a LOT of ground today. (Fair warning - this is going to be a longer post than usual.) Super grateful to our guide, Necdet, for shepherding us through his beautiful (but chaotic) city. Spent most of the day crowd surfing through the must-sees of Istanbul: the Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, the Blue Mosque, and finally, the Grand and Spice Bazaars. But first, our driver needs coffee. The method for getting coffee to-go in Istanbul is to pull over near a coffee shop and yell out the window. Other drivers will honk and/or yell at you, but sure enough, someone will bring you a coffee, and off you go.

🇹🇷 How Much Can You Cram Into a Single Day in Istanbul? Buckle Up.

We covered a LOT of ground today. (Fair warning - this is going to be a longer post than usual.) Super grateful to our guide, Necdet, for shepherding us through his beautiful (but chaotic) city. Spent most of the day crowd surfing…

🇹🇷 First Impressions of Istanbul: Cats, Smoke, and Perfume We just returned home from a 2-1/2 week trip to Eastern Europe. We spent a couple of days in Istanbul, a few days in Budapest, then on to a Danube River cruise - our first ever. Lots to unpack. I will share my travelogues and photos over the next few weeks. As usual, I will post my drinks culture reports and photo essays. And, I'm working on a wrap-up post with my thoughts on Eastern Europe and river cruising. And I have many, many thoughts. So, diving in . . .

🇹🇷 First Impressions of Istanbul: Cats, Smoke, and Perfume

We just returned home from a 2-1/2 week trip to Eastern Europe. We spent a couple of days in Istanbul, a few days in Budapest, then on to a Danube River cruise - our first ever. Lots to unpack. I will share my travelogues and photos over…

The Highlight Real: A Baltic Uber Cautionary Tale We've been traveling for the past 2-1/2 weeks - on our first river cruise - to Eastern Europe. A wonderful trip, but now it's time to pay the "travel tax" - the process of re-entry: unpacking, laundry, mail, groceries, seeing which of my plants survived being neglected for 2-1/2 weeks, etc. So, while I catch up and get my life together, please enjoy this Highlight Real experience we had with Bolt (Baltic Uber) in Vilnius, Lithuania: After a full day of walking (and walking, and then more walking) we were all exhausted, so we decided to call a Bolt to take us back to our hotel.

The Highlight Real: A Baltic Uber Cautionary Tale

We've been traveling for the past 2-1/2 weeks - on our first river cruise - to Eastern Europe. A wonderful trip, but now it's time to pay the "travel tax" - the process of re-entry: unpacking, laundry, mail, groceries, seeing which of my plants…

Destination Bookshelf: What I’m Reading Before Our Danube River Cruise Before we take a trip, I always try to come up with a reading list that connects with our upcoming destination(s). I usually gravitate toward my favorite genre - historical fiction. I find historical fiction helps make history more accessible and relatable. My husband is more of a non-fiction guy, but I don't have the patience to get through A Concise History of Eastern Europe, so - historical fiction it is. We're getting ready to go on a Danube River cruise (our first river cruise) from Budapest, Hungary to Bucharest, Romania.

Destination Bookshelf: What I’m Reading Before Our Danube River Cruise

Before we take a trip, I always try to come up with a reading list that connects with our upcoming destination(s). I usually gravitate toward my favorite genre - historical fiction. I find historical fiction helps make history…

Never Go On Trips With Anyone You Do Not Love I have a travel mantra - words I live by. It's a quote by Ernest Hemingway from his memoir, A Movable Feast. He wrote it after a disastrous trip he took with his good friend, F. Scott Fitzgerald. I believe these to be ten of the most important words ever written about travel: Travel isn’t all Instagrammable sunsets and Aperol spritzes. It’s also bad moods, missed trains, lost luggage, and hangry meltdowns. Traveling with someone is the fastest way to find out whether they are a roll with the punches kind of person - or a meltdown in the Louvre kind of person.

Never Go On Trips With Anyone You Do Not Love

I have a travel mantra - words I live by. It's a quote by Ernest Hemingway from his memoir, A Movable Feast. He wrote it after a disastrous trip he took with his good friend, F. Scott Fitzgerald. I believe these to be ten of the most important words…

The Highlight Real: Baby’s Coffee Today’s Highlight Real is a real travel experience we had driving on the Overseas Highway (Route 1) in the Florida Keys. There are certain words and phrases that become a permanent part of a family vernacular. Phrases that are immediately recognized, and instantly convey the crux of the matter at hand. This is the story of Baby's Coffee. If you've ever driven to/from Key West in Florida, you know there's only one way in and one way out - the Overseas Highway, aka Route 1. And there are stretches (big stretches) of that highway where there aren't exactly an abundance of places to stop if you need to use the bathroom.

The Highlight Real: Baby’s Coffee

Today’s Highlight Real is a real travel experience we had driving on the Overseas Highway (Route 1) in the Florida Keys. There are certain words and phrases that become a permanent part of a family vernacular. Phrases that are immediately recognized, and instantly…

🍷 Drinks Report: Mediterranean Cruise Cruising is a double-edged sword. One of the things I like most about cruising (well, the two cruises I've been on, anyway) is also one of the things I like least. Cruising give you an opportunity to see many different places, and you only have to unpack once. Huge plus for me. But (and it's a big but), you are never in a place long enough to truly get to know it. Huge minus. So, when it comes to cocktail anthropology - finding good things to drink that tell you something about a place (its people and culture) - cruising is not the way to go.

🍷 Drinks Report: Mediterranean Cruise

Cruising is a double-edged sword. One of the things I like most about cruising (well, the two cruises I've been on, anyway) is also one of the things I like least. Cruising give you an opportunity to see many different places, and you only have to unpack once.…

🛳️ Trip Reflections: Cruising the Mediterranean in the Hellscape of Summer I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I knew it was going to be hot. But I didn't think it would be Vatican hot (for reference, this is approximately two degrees less than the surface of the sun, and my new metric for unbearable heat). I cannot stand being hot. I'm Nordic - I have no business being in the sun, or the heat. AND, I'm in the throes of menopause, so I burst into flames every 20 minutes or so, anyway. So I'm not sure what part of my brain wasn't firing for me to think cruising the Mediterranean in June would be a good idea.

🛳️ Trip Reflections: Cruising the Mediterranean in the Hellscape of Summer

I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I knew it was going to be hot. But I didn't think it would be Vatican hot (for reference, this is approximately two degrees less than the surface of the sun, and my new metric for…

The Vatican in Summer: Dante’s Bonus Circle of Hell Back in Rome. It is 98 degrees here today. Everyone looks wilted. Trying to minimize time in the heat as much as possible. We were supposed to tour the Vatican before our cruise, but the tour was canceled because of all the hoopla surrounding the new Pope and the Jubilee. So today is our make-up tour. Vatican Dress Code Covering your shoulders is a requirement at the Vatican, so we packed scarves specifically for this tour. However, Anna forgot her scarf at the hotel this am, so now we own this high-quality Chaneel street-scarf.

The Vatican in Summer: Dante’s Bonus Circle of Hell

Back in Rome. It is 98 degrees here today. Everyone looks wilted. Trying to minimize time in the heat as much as possible. We were supposed to tour the Vatican before our cruise, but the tour was canceled because of all the hoopla surrounding the…