I love travel and adventures, and I especially love doing it on a budget. Where am I going next? Here's your chance at Catching Katie
This post was written in August of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I took a risk in flying out to San Diego to visit my boyfriend so that we could take a road trip together, thinking that hiking the National Parks would be a safer way to get some traveling in. This is the second part …
Joshua Tree National Park is a great spot for a day trip. Enjoy the outdoors in beautiful nature, with boulders for rock climbing, hiking the trails or make it a longer trip and do some camping. This blog post will explore the best places to see, as well as some ideas for what to do in the vicinity.
I love adventuring. Most summers (besides the summer of Covid) I have traveled overseas. There is just SO MUCH I want to see. But just because I love traveling to other countries doesn’t mean I don’t love seeing things closer to home. Give me a free weekend and I will be in my car exploring …
A great place for hiking and outdoor lovers is Cuyahoga Valley National Park- the only national park in Ohio. This blog explores Brandywine Falls and the Ledges. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is dog friendly, and you can complete your day with a visit to also dog-friendly Missing Mountain Brewing Company.
Charleston Falls Preserve is a great spot for hiking in Dayton, Ohio. Enjoy the beautiful outdoors at this dog-friendly park. After, visit Airline Dairy Creme for ice cream, or Eudora Brewing Company for a beer.
Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, located about an hour east of Columbus, Ohio, is a wonderful spot for hikers, bikers or kayakers. Spend a day enjoying the beautiful outdoors, and top it off with a visit to nearby Sand Hollow Winery.
Looking for something to do in Columbus? Why not consider a quick day trip to Cesar Creek State Park, located about an hour outside of Columbus, Ohio
This post might well be called “First Day in Krakow- I had no idea what I was doing”. My summer 2019 trip started on June 25, when I flew from Columbus to Miami via American Airlines, then after a 4 hour layover to London gatwick with Norwegian airlines (perhaps the worst airline I’ve ever flown), …
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| If you see this sign, make sure you’re going the speed limit! Camera ahead! |
Driving Norway Tip #3: There are often ferries to take you from one side of the fjord to another (though our GPS also had an option to avoid ferries, but sometimes can’t be avoided. Of course, taking a ferry involves a cost and waiting for the ferry to arrive. Also, we didn’t always know that we were going to be catching a ferry on our route, because the ferries are considered just part of the road (Route 5 for example).
We were getting near our destination of Stavanger, the home of Pulpit Rock, but we had to take our first ferry.
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| On the ferry, make sure to overfart |
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| On the ferry |
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| View of the carpark from our hike |
The hike was pretty varied, as you can tell from the pictures. There were often steps, made of large stones, flat sections, walking along stone boulders, of course lots of trees and even some waterfalls. But it definitely was very green! There were many places where there were stones stacked up. We saw this all over Norway: you are supposed to stack up the stones and make a wish, and the higher you are able to make your stack, the better the chances that your wish will come true.
The higher we went, the foggier it got, and also the rainier, and did I mention that it was pretty chilly? So we weren’t feeling very optimistic about having a great view of the top. It took us about 2 hours to get to the top, and although it was foggy we were ecstatic to reach the summit.
At the top of Pulpit Rock there are no signs warning you about falling, no barriers, just you and nature and a big BIG drop-off. However, we couldn’t see the fjord below at all, so I had few qualms about laying down and hanging off the edge a bit.
Now, here is a photo, not taken by me, of what Pulpit Rock looks like on a clear day. If it had looked like this I’m not sure I would’ve done that, but I guess I can call myself a daredevil now.
The hike was really not too difficult; it would be easier for people with longer legs because there were times when the steps were pretty far apart, or pretty big stones that I had to kinda hoist myself up on. I did slip and land on my bum one time, but it wasn’t an overly dangerous hike. It was well worth it and I can only imagine the views when it is a nice day. You don’t really need to imagine, there are pictures all over the internet.
So it wasn’t the most beautiful day, but I still loved it, the hike was great, with beautiful views along the way, and it was our goal to make it to the top and we did!
Once we got back to the car we were soaked all the way through our layers (for the record I had leggings and rain pants on, two pairs of socks, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and a rain jacket- and it was June 12), chilly from being wet (our hands and feet were freezing!), and hungry. The interesting thing was changing out of all our wet clothes in the public bathroom, and then trying to figure out what to do with all our wet clothes (which was most of our cold-weather gear that we had with us in Norway) while we drove towards our next destination. Our original plan was to spend another night camping, but we were so cold and with most of our clothes being wet we decided to change our plan and head toward Bergen and stay the night in an AirBnb, which we had to book in the car (thank goodness Heidi had an international phone plan- though it didn’t always work). So we turned the heat in the car on high to make it a sauna, made some PB&J sandwiches and headed off.
Our driving route from Preikestolen to Bergen was almost a 7 hour drive, and we didn’t realize it at the time, but our route was mostly a scenic road. I kept seeing these brown signs along the way and a few times I even wondered aloud what they meant, while also exclaiming over and over how beautiful it all was, only to find out later that we were on the scenic route.
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I don’t know the names of everything we saw, but enjoy the pics of beautiful Norway!
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| Is it me, or does this waterfall look like a walking man? |
There were many times when we were driving and we just had to stop, or sometimes pull a U-ie to go back and enjoy the view/snap some pics.
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| Blue skies for a moment! |
Driving Norway tip #5: There are public bathrooms all over the roads of Norway, labeled by road signs as WC. They are basically porta potties, but look at the views that some of them come with!
Now to one of the most amazing moments during our drive that day. It had been raining off-and-on all day, and we had passed multiple waterfalls. We were heading for a specific one actually. I’m just driving along a fjord, the Hardangerfjord, the second largest fjord in Norway, fourth largest in the world, and all of the sudden the road gets very misty and I have to turn on the windshield wipers, but it was odd because it wasn’t coming from the sky, and then we drove by this amazing waterfall, just right next to road. I had to stop to look at it.
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| The road we were driving along |
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Driving along the fjords were just spectacular, and you pass all these little villages, all the communities pretty small with all the buildings in a little area, but they were so charming!
The beginning of my summer trip started in Krakow, Poland (read about that trip here) and after spending a few days there, I flew into Vienna, Austria, spending the night with my dear friends Dan and Irina. The next morning, Dan accompanied me to the car rental place to pick up the car I would be driving the next few weeks around Europe, and shortly after I went to the train station to pick up my travel buddy for the next 6 days, Erin! Erin is a pretty prolific traveler so I was excited to be experiencing some new destinations with her, and our first stop was Ljubljana, Slovenia!
In less than 4 hours we made it to our Airbnb, but it was a lovely drive- full of green, grassy mountains and picturesque villages (and that’s just what we were able to see from our drive on the freeway), and once we arrived we headed straight to our Airbnb just outside of the city center (Erin did a great job on planning all the places where we stayed the night, so all credit goes to her) where we quickly stashed the car and headed out, eager to see all that Ljubljana had to offer but also in search of some food If you’re like before this trip, you’re thinking “Ljubl…what?”. I didn’t know much about this city at all, so I had no expectations. Before I traveled there, I had never heard anyone talking about this city, though after I posted my first pictures on social media during my travels I did hear from a few people who exclaimed that it was one of their favorite cities they’ve been to, and I can tell you now, I almost don’t want to share about it. It’s a stunner, and one of the best things about it was, it wasn’t covered with tourists.
As we walked, with no sure destination in mind besides finding food somewhere, we were passing colorful building, darling churches, tree-lined cobblestone streets, quaint squares, old buildings (of course, it is Europe, but there is something I love about a historic and slightly dilapidated building) and within 5 minutes we hit the mother-load, the beautiful Ljubljanica river, which is lined with a rainbow mixture of buildings. It was a beautiful day- there were people kayaking down the river, the sky was blue without a cloud in sight, and the city was gorgeous.
Crossing over the river and continuing on our quest for food we passed by the Church of Saint James, built in 1613-1615. I love the yellow façade. 
Just past the church we found the main throughfare, which is even better because it is a completely pedestrian zone. Running parallel to the river, and flanked on the other side by the Ljubljana castle looking down from its hillside position, it is lined with cafés, restaurants and shops- this is the place to go to see and be seen. Even though it is only 3:30 the outside tables were already filled with people enjoying the beautiful weather
Halfway down the street is the Ljubljana town hall, built in 1484, though it went through a renovation in 1717 to be the Baroque Italian design that it is today. Outside the Town Hall is a replica of the Robba Fountain.
After walking the street for 30 minutes and taking in the sights our stomachs rumbled loudly enough to knock us out of our rhapsodic state and reminded us that we hadn’t eaten all day. Perhaps it was because we were so hungry, but in reminiscing about Ljubljana, Erin and I both agree that in Ljubljana we had perhaps the best food during our 6 days together. After checking out several menus posted outside we agreed on the restaurant Gostilna Pri Kolovratu. We started with a cheese plate, featuring Slovenian cheeses. Back in the States, I have a gluten intolerance, and looking at this menu (and several others) I realized that I was just gonna have to risk it- but I didn’t feel sick at all after this meal, so I’m fine with admitting that I ate A LOT of bread (because if you’re going to risk getting sick from some gluten, you might as well go all-in and eat all the gluten, right?). I followed the bread and cheese up with Idrian dumplings with mushrooms (what are Idrian dumplings you ask? Couldn’t tell you, but I CAN tell you that they were delicious), and we washed it down with some very delicious (and inexpensive – I’m talking 1e80 per glass) wine, all while sitting outside and people watching, it was an amazing meal.
While we were sitting outside enjoying the afternoon we heard church bells ringing, so after our meal we went to see the church, the Ljubljana Cathedral, also known as Saint Nicolas church. While we couldn’t go inside and see the church, I was fascinated by the beautiful bronze doors, created in 1996 to celebrate the 1250th anniversary of Christianity in Slovenia and the visit of Pope John Paul II. One door, known as the Slovene door, has a relief depicting Slovene history, and the other door, called the Ljubljana Door, has reliefs of bishops of Ljubljana. The Cathedral also had several facades featuring beautiful religious paintings.
Just past the cathedral is where the central market is located, though only in the morning. It was closed while we were there the first evening, but during our last morning in Ljubljana this is where we came to find lunch. The vendors were so friendly, letting us sample their fruits and veggies, check out my fabulous lunch! 
Back to our first evening in Ljubljana, the sun was beginning to set so we were very content to continue walking around and taking in the sites, so we meandered down a little alley towards the river, and discovered another busy pedestrian street. This one was louder, with more bars and clubs, but absolutely beautiful as the sky turned rose and orange, the colors reflecting off the river. Can you think of anything more romantic? I can! throwing in some gelato, which is exactly what we did.
As we walked back to our AirBnb, completely content with our day, is when we really noticed the Ljubljana castle, sitting atop the hit, looking over her city. She looked so beautiful, all lit up. This day was so amazing that I could practically hear the angels singing. But then Erin said she heard it too! We came across a park and there was an opera being performed. To this day I don’t what we heard, or why they were performing that night- perhaps it was a dress rehearsal because there wasn’t an audience, besides Erin and I and the few other people walking or biking around. That made it all the more perfect, because it seemed like Ljubljana was performing just for us. I know, it sounds so corny, but that’s how great this day was. Click on the videos so you can experience it yourself.
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The next day, we woke up bright and early to drive to Lake Bled, which was about a 40 minute drive. We decided to stay in Ljubljana (before we knew how gorgeous it was) because it was close for us to drive to Lake Bled for a day trip, and we figured staying in the capital would give us something to do (good call, us!). Lake Bled is AMAZING, and if you haven’t read my blog post about it yet, click here. And here is a photo of it just so you know how amazing it is, and how much you should read that blog so you can see more pics and learn more about it.
After a day of hiking and exploring Lake Bled (and also finding a spot to go hiking called Soteska Vintgar, which is also featured in the blog post) we had worked up quite an appetite, but luckily we had a plan! After our amazing evening the night prior we just had to venture back to the amazing streets next to the river. This was the night that Erin said she had the best meal, just look at this happy face.
The next morning we were up and at ’em early; we checked out of Airbnb but they allowed us to leave our car in the parking lot so that we could have one last adventure in Ljubljana- visiting the castle! To get to the castle there is a funicular that you can pay to take you up the hill to the castle (and there are castle entrance tickets that include the funicular), but the tricky part is finding the funicular. I was depending on my ole’ Google Maps, but somehow we never did find it. Have I mentioned that it was a major heat wave in Europe while we were there, with temperatures rising over 90 degrees Fahrenheit everyday? And you probably know in Europe there isn’t air conditioning available everywhere, especially in a 15th century castle. So, we had to walk ALLLL the way up the steep hill in the heat, I didn’t mind it, and maybe one of these days Erin will forgive me and start talking to me again (pretty please Erin?). Once we arrived at the top it was beautiful views and we did find the funicular, so I know that it DOES actually exist.
If you’ve read many of my blogs, you might have noticed that I don’t frequently visit castles and museums, and that’s because I travel on a tight budget, so I stick to exploring the outdoors, places with free entrance fees, and really special monuments or exhibits (people always ask me how I’m able to travel so much, and this is just part of how I really do it inexpensively, I’ll give you more tips in a different blog post soon). So what made the Ljubljana castle one to visit? Very simply, it was because Erin and I found out that they have an escape room style challenge you can participate in when you visit. For 13 euros you can participate in the escape room challenge, which involves finding and solving 5 puzzles centered around the idea of releasing a dragon (perhaps it’s the dragon that is on the coat of arms for Ljubljana).
The castle visit alone is 10 euros, and our ticket allowed us to visit all part of the castle, including the towers which are usually an additional cost. You have an hour to “release the dragon” and though we had a slow start, I am happy to report that Erin and I successfully completed the mission. When you finish the escape room you are allowed to return to the castle and visit any parts that you missed. I definitely recommend doing this, it made for a very fun way to explore the castle. I’m not going to give away any hints about the escape room on here, lest I ruin your future fun, but here are some picture highlights of the castle.
And that concludes our stay in Ljubljana- on our walk back to the car we took in our last views of the beautiful city that so enchanted us. I hope you get to visit it one day, or maybe I don’t, I kind of want to keep this little gem all to myself.
