[PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D'AZUR] Budget and Itinerary

 

THURSDAY: 27 April 2023

easyJet (Berlin - Nice) - 130.75

L2 (Terminal 2 - Garibaldi) - 1.50
easyHotel (2 Nights) - 170.00

EUR302.25

[MONACO] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 27 April 2023

TER (Nice Riquier - Monaco Monte Carlo - Nice Riquier) - 7.60

Granita (Strawberry Slushee) - 2.95

EUR10.55

[BERLIN] Budget and Itinerary (3)

MONDAY: 24 April 2023

easyJet (Venice - Berlin) - 92.48
BVG (Single ABC) - 4.00
Space Night Capsule Hotel (3 Nights) - 132.19

EUR228.67

[BERLIN] Humboldt Versus Freie Universität

Even if you live in Berlin for two months, which I did back in 2017, it is still not enough to savor what the city can offer. I always declare it as my most favorite city in Europe, and that designation hasn’t changed over the years. Since I’ve been away for more than 5 years, I’ve decided that I wanted to come back to Germany’s capital, not for sightseeing per se, but just to be in the city again. But since we are already here, I decided to go sightseeing anyway. What about a campus tour? Humboldt and FU, are you ready?

[VENETO] Budget and Itinerary (2)

SATURDAY: 22 April 2023

Flixbus (Trieste - Venice) - 12.75

Anda Venice (2 Nights) - 65.00

McDonalds (Double Cheeseburger Meal) - 7.60

Tren Italia (Venice Mestre - Venice Santa Lucia - Venice Mestre) - 2.90

Ali (Groceries) - 7.86

EUR96.11

[FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 20 March 2023

Flixbus (Rijeka - Trieste) - 10.00

ControVento (2 Nights) - 63.00

EUR73.00

[TRIESTE] En Route To Venice

Trieste has been a pleasant surprise. I thought it was going to be like Rimini which was a means to an end just to reach San Marino. In this case, San Marino would be Venice. Despite both being coastal cities, I don’t know why Rimini kind of bored me, yet Trieste has an entirely different vibe. Perhaps it’s the abundance of bars and a younger population? I really can’t pinpoint the difference. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed Trieste more even if I was only here for a short time.

[PRIMORJE-GORSKI KOTAR] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 18 April 2023

Flixbus (Zadar - Rijeka) - 22.50

Apartment Seagull (2 Nights) - 76.40

EUR98.90

[RIJEKA] Croatia's Principal Port City

I know, I know. Why Rijeka instead of Pula for my last stop before returning to Spaghettilandia? I don’t know, ok. I don’t know what happened. I planned this itinerary in November last year. In any case, like I always say, this gives us a reason to come back to Croatia Truly Asia. What is Rijeka anyway? To answer your question, Rijeka is Croatia’s third largest city after Zagreb and Split. It is also considered as the country’s principal seaport thanks to its strategic location on Kvarmer Bay as well as its deep sea port.

[ZADAR] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 16 April 2023

Flixbus (Split - Zadar) - 11.99

Uber (Autobusni kol. - Old Town) - 5.53

Downtown Boutique Hostel (2 Nights) - 48.00

McDonalds (Double Cheeseburger Meal w/ Sundae) - 8.60

Studenac (Groceries) - 5.18

EUR79.30

[ZADAR] Roman Forum

If you thought Split was small based on its old town center, then Zadar is even smaller, which shouldn’t come across as weird since Split is Croatia’s second largest city anyway. Zadar is more of a small town if you ask me. Located conveniently at the crossroads between Zagreb and the southern cities of the Adriatic, this is a good stopover for my itinerary. Four hours on a bus from Split; another four hours on another bus to Rijeka before we cross the border to Italy. And so, what did we see in Zadar?

[SPLIT-DALMATIA] Budget and Itinerary

 

FRIDAY: 14 April 2023

Vincek/Flixbus (Dubrovnik - Split) - 13.00

Hotel Slavija (2 Nights) - 124.00

EUR137.00

[SPLIT] Laundry Day with Ya Boi Diocletian

You know the drill. When we need to split the itinerary into shorter trips, we add intermediate stops in between, which is what Split is. Arriving here on a Friday night and waking up on a Saturday morning without having to set an alarm and only planning to see the old town center where my hotel already is meant having too much time in my hands. Ya boi Diocletian’s palace is literally a two-minute walk. So was the self-operated laundry. Ok, I see an opportunity for some serious adulting multitasking here.

[DUBROVNIK-NERETVA] Budget and Itinerary

WEDNESDAY: 12 April 2023

Croatia Airlines (Zagreb - Dubrovnik) - 55.00

Platanus (Airport - Old Town) - 9.00

La Vite e Bella V (2 Nights) - 161.00

EUR225.00

[DUBROVNIK] Dubrovnik, Ragusa, King's Landing

My 8 PM flight from Zagreb to Dubrovnik was canceled and I was bumped to the last flight of the day at 10 PM, which left an hour late, which annoyed me because there aren’t so many flight’s here you know and yet the aircraft is effing late? I was the only passenger on the shuttle bus between the airport and the Old Town an hour later and I found myself entering Ploče Gate at midnight with an empty yet well-illuminated walled town greeting me. Well, damn. I guess this was a blessing in disguise. My sleepiness faded into obscurity as an impromptu pictorial began. Impressive, King’s Landing. Impressive.

[ZAGREB] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 10 April 2023

Flixbus (Maribor - Zagreb) - 15.99

Zagreb City Vibe (2 Nights) - 81.60

EUR97.59

[PODRAVSKA] Budget and Itinerary

 

SATURDAY: 8 April 2023

Flixbus (Graz - Maribor) - 11.99

UNI Hostel (2 Nights) - 90.00

6 (Maribor AP - Glavni trg) - 2.00

Wok Mix (Mixed Fried Rice + Coke) - 9.50

Maribor Regional Museum (Admission) - 8.00

EUR121.49

[MARIBOR] Piramida and a Plague Column

Maribor ended up on the itinerary list because it is in one of two Nomadmania regions in Slovenia that you can cross out. Since Ljubljana was already the default city to visit in the other region, Maribor, being the main city in the east, was chosen for convenience. Besides, I also needed to split the trips in half so they wouldn’t be longer than 2 or 3 hours so a stopover here was convenient. I guess this has been my first legit chill weekend because I arrived here on a Saturday and had basically two mornings and afternoons free. Given there isn’t much to see, I used the opportunity to rest and slow down a bit.

[STYRIA] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 6 April 2023

Flixbus (Ljubljana - Graz) - 24.99

32/40 (1-hr Ticket) - 2.70

IBIS Budget (2 Nights) - 102.00

EUR129.69

[GRAZ] A Castle Hill and a Steel Island

Graz was more of an accidental addition. I really can’t remember what happened when I was booking. It is close to impossible for there not to be either buses or trains from Ljubljana to Maribor. Or maybe this is because I was trying to be loyal to Flixbus? But the Flixbus I rode for this leg actually passed by Maribor. So, WTF? I don’t know. All I know is that I actually enjoyed walking around Graz. If I were to rank the Austrian cities I’ve seen so far, I would put it in 3rd place after Vienna and Salzburg, right above Villach and Feldkirch. And so, what is there to see in Graz?

[OSREDNJESLOVENSKA] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 4 April 2023

EC213 (Villach - Ljubljana) - 9.90

Dragons Dream Hostel (2 Nights) - 143.00

Kinodvor (Tar) - 5.30

EUR158.20

[LJUBLJANA] Ljubljana's Dragons

My knowledge of Slovenia is rather limited. I know that Ljubljana is the setting of Veronika Decides to Die, but I don’t remember Coelho painting the city in a way that you would want to drop the book, then book a flight and go. Triglav is always mentioned in figure skating circles because of the Triglav trophy which is part of the grand prix. And then there was a Slovenian housemate who ended up on Pinoy Big Brother in one of their housemate swaps. That’s it. That’s all I know about Slovenia. Or maybe not.

[CARINTHIA] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 2 April 2023

EC117 (Salzburg - Villach) - 9.90

Stadthotel Kramer (2 Nights) - 143.00

EUR152.90

[VILLACH] En Route to Slovenia

How I ended up in Villach is anybody’s guess. I almost always end up in the main city of the region which, in this case, is supposed to be Klagenfurt. I blame bus and train tickets. This was probably the only available route when I booked last year? Anyway, Villach is small, seemingly eventless, but quite a looker too, especially that part at the bridge with the jester statue and those snow capped mountains and a church’s double towers in the background. Before we continue, here are some trivia for Villach.

[SALZBURG] Budget and Itinerary

 

FRIDAY: 31 March 2023

RJX261 (Munich - Salzburg) - 21.90

Madlhof (2 Nights) - 130.00

Eurospar (Groceries) - 7.27

Augustiner Bräu (Lemonade + Cake) - 5.00

EUR164.17

[SALZBURG] Where Are the Singing Nuns?

Our sightseeing in Salzburg began the night we arrived, when the Czechoslovakians took me to Augustiner Bräu which was a totally new experience for me. The venue once served some religious purpose if you ask me, with a smattering of religious statues here and there as well as some quotes on the walls seemingly lifted from the bible. Nowadays, it serves as a place to be merry with friends, with tables all around, food stalls, and, of course, an endless stream of beer on tap. What more can you ask for? I can ask for more, because I don’t drink beer. Good thing, they had lemonade and cake.

[OBERÖSTERREICH] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 1 April 2023

Gas (Stroh-Tankstellen) - 23.00

Parking (Hallstatt) - 7.00

EUR30.00

[HALLSTATT] The Asian Invasion of Hallstatt

Hallstatt has always been on the itinerary, perhaps. We were supposed to brave the weather and go to Dachstein with a side trip to Hallstatt on the way back. Apparently, Dachstein has some sort of online viewing deck where you actually see what it looks like from up there LIVE. That’s the thing, nothing was seen but fog. And so the trip was canceled and we rerouted to Burg Hohenwerfen. Since Hallstatt was just an hour drive away, we still went afterwards, despite the rain. Surprisingly, we ended up enjoying it despite it being a really short side trip.

[WERFEN] The Hills Are Alive

Dachstein getting canceled meant having to find a replacement fast. This is probably the good thing about traveling with friends who are there for vacation. They will really find a destination that is worth it. Otherwise, I would’ve just stayed next to the train tracks of the HBF. Anyway, they decided that we were going to a castle in Werfen instead which is still within the region of Salzburg about half an hour drive away from the city. And so we went. I’m glad I did, because the imagery is now living in my mind rent free.