Europe in 100 Days

A trip across Europe in 100 days. In 2000, we traveled from Estonia to Turkey and back west to Portugal. Along the way, we married in Tuscany. © www.uncorneredmarket.com

Neringa/Curonian Spit - Lithuania
The Curonian Spit is a slender piece of seaside land, virtually surrounded by water and stretching from the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda in the north to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in the south. We rent bicycles and cycle the length of the spit, 32 miles, to the town of Nida. Along the way, we marvel at the diversity of Neringa’s landscape and culture – taking in sand dunes, old German villages, and the Hill of Witches, a wooden sculpture garden in the village of Juodkrante. Read more about our journey around the Baltics. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Town Hall and Market Square - Krakow, Poland
Krakow, located in southern Poland, maintains a young and vibrant atmosphere thanks to its large university population. As the weather warms, the main square becomes full of outdoor cafes. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Ladder and Sand Dunes - Curonian Spit, Lithuania
Ladder and Sand Dunes - Curonian Spit, Lithuania Read more about our journey around the Baltics. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Adventures along the Curonian Spit – Lithuania
In addition to sand dunes, German minority villages, and sculptures, nature’s inhabitants also draw us in. Here, we attempt to develop a rapport with an apparently friendly pack of wild boars who busy themselves by digging with their long snouts in the soft, moist soil of the birch forests. It’s not unusual to see miles of upturned soil along the roadside, the result of the boars’ persistent search for food. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Journey Across Europe in 100 Days
A trip across Europe by plane, train and bus, from Estonia to Turkey, and back west to Portugal. Come join us. Read more about our journey around the Baltics. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
The Journey Begins - Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn has a small, charming old town center with an architectural style reminiscent of frosted cakes, fairy tales and Teutonic knights. It is surrounded by medieval walls and is full of windy cobblestone streets and colorful houses, many of which date back to the Hanseatic League (13th century) and the Middle Ages. For us, it marks the beginning of our journey where we say goodbye to friends and set off south by bus to Lithuania. Read more about our journey around the Baltics. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Gondoliers Before the Pause on the Grand Canal - Venice, Italy
Our first stop in Western Europe is Venice, Italy. Although the magic and romance of its famous canals, bridges and narrow alleyways is well-known, a way for tourists to roam its streets without getting lost is not. We learn quickly and take joy in re-orienting ourselves by finding the nearest bar or restaurant serving cicchetti, the local style of small-plate eating. Cicchetti features a choose-your-own rhythm and pace, equivalent to that of Spanish tapas. Offers run the food pyramid from grilled vegetables and marinated olives to cheeses and prosciutto. Order a few plates and wash them down with some Italian wine and you’ll likely wax reflective on the day’s events as you decide where to go next for gelato. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Plague Monument - Kosice, Slovakia
Tucked away in eastern Slovakia between the Tatra mountains and the Ukrainian border is Slovakia’s second largest city. Genealogical research along a Slovak branch of our family tree brings us here. Our journey is replete with warm hospitality, including offers of grapes, plum brandy, meals and translation services from people we’d never met. Eventually, our search pulls us eastward into farming areas near the Ukrainian border and concluded in a village of 1000 people, whose mayor met with us personally and presented us with apples as a reward for our perseverance. www.uncorneredmarket.com/
Umbrella Salesman - Amalfi, Italy
What is an umbrella salesman to do on a sunny day? This one dreams of buffala mozzeralla the size of softballs from the deli down the street. www.uncorneredmarket.com/
Fishermen on the Amalfi Coast - Italy
The Amalfi Coast, made famous in recent years by the film “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, simply stuns. The Mediterranean Sea mesmerizes with its blueness, the bougainvilleas are striking, and the houses – engineering marvels themselves – are tucked right into the cliffside. Walks are not for the faint of heart – stairways are small and steep and alleys are tight. The roads - a challenge to navigate even for Europe’s best drivers – provide an amusement-park style experience. With blind curves and barreling buses sounding their air horns, the possibility of careering down a cliff is possible at any turn. Stay on foot! Our arrival in late September coincides with the end of the tourist season, so the town had a sleepy feel to it as locals go about their normal routines. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
View of Florence from Palazzo Pitti - Florence, Italy
Another entry in the dazzling array of Florence’s art galleries open to the public. The grounds of the Pitti Palace provide a respite for those seeking to escape the intensity of the streets and well-known, more heavily-visited tourist sites. www.uncorneredmarket.com/
The Honeymoon Begins - Dubrovnik, Croatia
The walled city of Dubrovnik, known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic”, is situated at the southernmost tip of Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. With its marble-lined promenade, medieval architecture, and terra cotta tiled rooftops, it makes for a pleasant history-filled introduction to the Balkans. Enjoy its laid-back lifestyle with an order of risotto with squid ink, and a carafe of local white wine. Dubrovnik marked the start of our “honeymoon”. After enjoying our stay there, we explored the Dalmatian coast, including the island of Korcula where, according to local folklore, Marco Polo was born. www.uncorneredmarket.com/
Tuscan Hill Town – Pienza, Italy
Nestled in the Tuscan hills between Montepulciano and Montalcino, Pienza was redesigned by Pope Pius II in the 15th century as his ideal Renaissance town. Today, it is a small, romantic hillside town full of tiny streets and beautiful views over the valley (Val d'Orcia). It is a special place for us, as we get married here in the pictured Palazzo Pubblico (Commual Palace) by the local mayor with a trusty interpreter by our side to ensure that we knew what we were agreeing to. Although early autumn weather was spectacularly sunny in the run-up to our wedding, it pours for much of our wedding day. Providing us the silver lining to the day’s clouds, the locals cheer on the bride by chanting “sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata” (a wet bride is a lucky bride). Read more about our 10th Anniversary trip to Tuscany © UncorneredMarket.com
Il Duomo (Cathedral) in Black and White - Florence, Italy
Il Duomo (Cathedral) in Black and White - Florence, Italy © www.uncorneredmarket.com/
Tuscan Agriturismo (Tourism Farm) - Tuscany, Italy
A typical Italian agritourismo is a working farm often dating back 100s of years that offers rooms for rent and home cooked meals made from locally produced vegetables, fruits, meats, and wines. This agriturismo, located in the valley three miles from Pienza, includes a 1000-year old tower. We and our guests stay here during our wedding festivities. The food was sublime. Luciano, the owner, arranges for his wife to prepare a meal that includes bruschetta and crostini made with truffles, pecorino cheese, and sundried tomatoes and series of main plates ranging from freshly made pillows of ricotta-stuffed ravioli to Florentine steaks. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Sveta Gospa - Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik’s Sveta Gospa. www.uncorneredmarket.com/
Dracula's Castle in Autumn - Bran, Romania, Romania
Dracula's Castle in Autumn - Bran, Romania, Romania © www.uncorneredmarket.com/
Aya Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey
The original church of the AyaSofya is from the 5th century, and was rebuilt after the huge dome collapsed several times in the 600 years that followed. In 1453, the Turks converted it from an Eastern Orthodox church to a mosque. Today, it houses the AyaSofya Museum, displaying a unique mix of Islamic symbols and Christian mosaics. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Sighisoara - Transylvania, Romania
Sighisoara – a small Transylvanian town that has managed to preserve many features of its walled, medieval past including its 16th century clock tower and 14th century citadel. Sighisoara’s is perhaps most well-known as the birthplace of Vlad Dracul III, the source of inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Nicknamed Vlad Tepes (or Vlad the Impaler), Vlad III ruled the surrounding territory of Wallachia from 1456-1462 and was known for skewering his enemies with impaling sticks - by the dozens, hundreds or thousands depending on the historian you speak to. © www.uncorneredmarket.com