‘Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes Turn and face the strange Ch-ch-changes Don’t want to be a richer man Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes Turn and face the strange Ch-ch-changes There’s gonna have to be a different man Time may change me But I can’t trace time’ David Bowie – Changes The Time Is Gone, The Song Is Over (Pink Floyd) Two years of…
Author: PatVinoHiker
Languedoc, France: Wine, Cheese, Oysters, and Scenery – The Perfect Place?
I Probably Should Keep This Magnificent Part Of The World A Secret, But… I just can’t. OK, having been born in the south of France makes me a bit prejudice, but Languedoc has to be the most perfect place in the world. Why? Well, let’s start with an amazing landscape, ancient mountainside villages, both bathed…
Beaujolais and Lyon, France: Vin et Balades
French 101: Vin means wine and Balades means – literally- walks, but really it means hikes. So what better title for this blog? After all, we are VinoHikers and, as the cover photo suggests, Beaujolais is replete with balades. But with the opportunity to experience this beautiful countryside and experience some wonderful wines – wines,…
Venice, Italy: Beyond The Tourist Trappings – An Attempt To Find Its Soul
To go or not to go? That is the question We missed Venice on our first time through Italy, back in March, when this little adventure began. But, my travel planner extraordinaire, Carrie, had a plan, and it worked perfectly. “We’ll need to go almost directly through Venice on our way to France from…
Sighisoara, Romania: Chimneys, Rooftops, and Other Cute Things
The Cutest Damn Town Located in Transylvania along the banks of the Tarnava Marever, it’s the cutest little town in all of Romania. Of course the Romans started the whole thing, then the Saxons built the current old town over the Roman fort. Interestingly, the ‘Transylvanian Saxons’ were German craftsman who were invited to settle…
Brasov, Romania: A Deluxe Tourist Destination And The Wall Part 2
As you may remember from Carrie’s last post our mission in Ploiesti was to learn more about Romanian wines and actually see where they are produced. Also, if you read my post from Sinaia, you know that we left there with our ‘batteries’ only 60% recharged and Ploiesti didn’t add any charge to the ‘batteries’….
Sinaia, Romania: Where We learned to Watch Our Liquor in a Ho-Hum Mountain Town
I’m Goin’ Up The Country…Where The Water Tastes Like Wine Bucharest was a pretty city, as cities go, but after a heavy dose of traffic, noise, and crowds, we always end up needing a dose of the mountains. A haven, where we can stroll through winding trails listening to birds sing and dance, gaze upon…
Ruse, Bulgaria: The Last Stop and the True Face of Extended Travel
Well I’m Aching All Over Another damn travel day: Pack – unpack – pack – unpack, it seems like that’s all I do. Then there’s the joy of lugging the bags to a taxi or bus station or train station. And lately – the last three months anyway – it’s been hot, really hot. I’m…
Plovdiv, Bulgaria: The Romans, The French, and Just Daily Life
Two Wrongs Make A Right? “I’m not sure I understand what all the hype is about Plovdiv, it doesn’t seem all that great to me,” I tell Carrie. “You’re too harsh. It’s a great city. We just aren’t doing it justice.” She counters. I shrugged and let it go hoping that I’m not stuck…
Bansko, Bulgaria: A Tale of Three Cities
Fair Weather Travelers We’re almost always about the wine unless it involves any form of discomfort, at which point we head for the exits as fast as possible. And that was the case for us in Melnik. As you could tell from Carrie’s last post we loved Melnik, especially the Melnik wines, but it was…