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San Diego, United States
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The Bahamas, The Bahamas
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Miami Beach - South Beach, United States
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Lisbon, Portugal
Monday, June 23: Arrive from Miami at 2 pm
Tuesday, June 24: Free walking tour with Hugo (impromptu change after airbnb guide was assaulted), dinner with Brad & Shanna at Essencial (very good)
Wednesday, June 25: African Lisbon Tour with Naky (very good), then dinner w/ tour group at Mambo, drinks w/ Ellie, Jam, Sydney, Kafi (SD), & Vadim
Thursday, June 26: Airbnb food tour with Rodrigo (good), vintage shops, dinner at Oriental
Friday, June 27 @ 11:30 am: Pastel de Nata at Manteigaria (very good), train to Porto
POTENTIAL DAY TRIPS
Sintra/Palace of Queluz
Belem
Cascais/Cabo de Roca
POTENTIAL VIEWPOINTS
Miradouros, e.g.: Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara (Baixa)
Miradouros da Graça (above Alfama)
Miradouro da Senhora do Monte (Alfama)
POTENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS
Alfama
Bairro Alto
Baixa
POTENTIAL NIGHTLIFE
Bairro Alto (Bars)
Cais do Sodree (Clubs)
POTENTIAL RESTAURANTS
Mambo: West African
POTENTIAL CAFES
(None)
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Porto, Portugal
- Friday, June 27: Arrived on train from Lisbon, late lunch at Cult of Pita (good), LC Pride Zoom event w/ Julie, dinner at Midtown Ramen (decent), gelato at Boutique do Gelado (decent)
- Saturday, June 28: Coffee tasting and breakfast at 7g Roasters (excellent coffee, super friendly staff, including Sergio who gave us recs for many other things), ride the Gaia Cable Car (up to Jardim do Morro station), walk around by the river and to Villa Nova de Gaia, food from Mercado Bolaho (decent but not too cheap), @ 7:30 pm: 2-hr sunset cruise on the Douro (beautiful but our specific tour was meh), dinner at Casa Guedes (pretty good, cheap Portuguese food)
- Sunday, June 29: Free walking tour w/ Hi Porto (good), dinner at Tapabento (excellent, 83 euros total)
- Monday, June 30: sick day (read in bed almost all day)
- Tuesday, July 1: batch brew at So Coffee, Portuguese Centre of Photography, Parque das Virtudes, Chama surprise tasting menu (first half was amazing, then went a bit downhill but still great experience overall)
- Wednesday, July 2: walk to Baco Coffee Lab (pretty good), uber to Serralves park & contemporary art museum plus treetop walk (grounds were awesome, museum very cool, rec), lunch at Francesinha Cafe (no thank you to francesinhas), Ideal Clube de Fado for show (cool experience), top of Luis I Bridge for sunset
- Thursday, July 3: rented car from airport and drove to Penedea-Geres Nat'l Park (tons of winding roads, super long day, but beautiful and very cool - great views, small waterfalls, walked along the Roman Road, saw Lindoso Castle; wanted to see the submerged village but road was closed and it was too hot/far to hike for us); flew to Bilbao at 9 pm
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Bilbao, Spain
Thursday, July 3: Arrived from Porto after midnight (flight delayed and Porto airport was hot af)
Friday, July 4: breakfast at Baristas Club (tasty coffee and food), walked around town to local park, did laundry (C) and gym (E), dinner at Azurmendi (mostly incredible food, with a few exceptions, and incredible presentation; service not *** but still had a great time)
Saturday, July 5: coffee and avocado toast at ? (good), Guggenheim Bilbao (amazing, spent 6+ hours there, especially loved Barbara Kruger exhibit), dinner at Ola Martin Berasategui (very good, recommend)
Sunday, July 6: Coffee and breakfast at Beetle Bar (quite good and cheap), walk to funicular and take up to the top, coffee and walk around, walk back down to apartment via hidden walkway and nearby park, sushi/poke dinner at Amma (pretty good)
Monday, July 7: Bus to San Sebastian @ 1pm (delayed and totally chaotic bus station)
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Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
Monday, July 7: Arrived by bus from Bilbao at 3pm, checked into Pension, did Airbnb Pintxos Tour with guide Erich and Canadian couple Pat & Cassidy (very good food and tons of info from Erich), then got cocktails at Arraun (great service and drinks). Food details -- Bar Aitana: gilda (classic olives+pickled peppers+anchovies - really good); Antonio Old Town (?): potato tortilla; Ssua: prawn brioche, secreto, pulpo rice; Atari: lamb terrine, pork belly, beef cheek w/ mashed potatoes, foie gras w/ corn cream and white chocolate on brioche (amazing); Bertakoteka: Basque cheesecake (so good).
Tuesday, July 8: Coffee and avocado/salmon toast at Simona (very good) then ate Ama cheesecake from Mundukuona bakery in the park, watched Anthony Bourdain episode on San Sebastian, planned week, got lunch at Bar Antonio (center) and had the shrimp ravioli (amazing), crispy oxtail (so good), scallop w/ truffle, anchovy and tomato toast. For dinner went out for more pintxos. Details -- Ganbara: mushrooms w/ egg yolk and foie gras, pastel de txangurro (spider crab), tuna/anchovy toast, shrimp & white asparagus tempura (so good) -- everything very good but not as amazing as we expected; La Cuchara de San Telmo: cod cheeks, beef cheeks, tuna (again, all very good)
Wednesday, July 9: Lunch (tortillas) at Adamo Beach (pretty good), then more shrimp ravioli at Bar Antonio (obsessed), walked along the beach and hung out for a bit, did the tasting menu dinner at Casa 887 (very good except giant steak — it was a mistake to do longer menu, WAY too much food)
Thursday, July 10: Hiked up to Monte Igueldo (awesome views of the beach and town), hung out at the beach (went topless again), had lunch at NAP (good pizza), dinner pintxos -- Borda Berri: cheese risotto (AMAZING), tomato gazpacho w/ anchovy, cod cheeks (didn’t love); Atari: foie gras dessert
Friday, July 11: Hiked to top of Monte Urgull, had lunch pintxos at Casa Urola: scallop ajoblanco (very good), ham croquettes, green beans, lobster salad bite; tasting menu dinner at Bodegon Alejandro (quite good)
Saturday, July 12: Took the bus to Bilbao and flew to Krakow
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Kraków, Poland
Saturday, July 12: Arrived late in Krakow
Sunday, July 13: chill/sick day, Georgian food for dinner
Monday, July 14: Auschwitz-Birchenau, pizza from Nolio for dinner (very good)
Tuesday, July 15: Old Town Kraków Walking Tour (good)
Wednesday, July 16: gym, Wawel Cathedral (amazing, looks like a beautiful frankencathedral from outside and inside is super cool and interesting, highly recommend)
Thursday, July 17: gym, Chelsea did pilates class in Polish, Wawel Castle tour - Castle I+II and underground (meh, this was kind of cool but could have skipped), then went to Pod Temida milk bar for dinner (pretty good, would recommend)
Friday, July 18: Jewish Quarter Walking Tour w/ Krakow Explorers (pretty good), Chelsea got massage, saw Big Gilson (Brazilian blues band) at Harris Jazz Piano Bar (great small venue), then went to Alchemia (super cool bar with candles)
Saturday, July 19: Stary Kleparz market in the morning for coffee and breakfast/pierogis (good), Chelsea did pottery workshop at Leon+Miko (great), walked to St. Joseph's Cathedral and Kościuszko Mound for sunset. Went to Good Lood ice cream multiple times for the local dairy ice cream flavor (so good)
Krakow was a very pretty and walkable city with an interesting history. Loved it.
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Berlin, Germany
Sunday, July 20: Arrived from Krakow at around 1pm, chill day, Eric went to Else night club
Monday, July 21: Rick Steves Berlin City Walk (started raining, had to finish later)
Tuesday, July 22: Finished RS tour, went to Insomnia [sex] Club (good experience, would go back on a different day to see it w/ more people), Chelsea drinks date w/ Hannah
Wednesday, July 23: Chelsea hotel date w/ Daisy
Thursday, July 24: East Side Gallery (really cool), thrift shops, went out to Renate (loved it, smaller and great music)
Friday, July 25: Chelsea went to Community Dyke March w/ Heather (Enana and drag kings performed, super powerful and emotional event, tons of free Palestine chants); went to lip service flinta* party at Oxi (had a great time, great fun music, met cool women)
Saturday, July 26: Went to Berlin CSD Parade (fucking awesome), House of Pride official pride party at Ritter Butzke (lame, mostly men, had frat bro vibes), Tresor (waited in line for an hour, worth it and super fun, met Serge from Belarus, stayed out until 6 am)
Sunday, July 27: Slept in super late, met Serge and his friends at Club de Visionaire (cool, outdoor bar/club, probably better during the day)
Amazing week in Berlin and weekend with Heather
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Munich, Germany
Monday, July 28: Arrived in Munich
Tuesday, July 29: accidental poisoning/sick day
Wednesday, July 30: Rick Steves walking tour
Thursday, July 31: Walked around English Gardens for a bit, went back to Viktualienmart for lunch, picked up rental car, went to Nymphenberg Palace (pretty cool, not amazing), drove to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
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Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Thursday, July 31: Arrived from Munich around 6pm, really loved our charming loft apartment with beautiful mountain views
Friday, August 1: Walked in/through Partnach Gorge (pretty cool)
Saturday, August 2: Saw Neuschwanstein Castle (hiked to bridge in the rain), did guided tour of Hohenschwangau (short and sweet, really liked it)
Sunday, August 3: Train to Zugspitze cable car (cool in theory but couldn't see shit because of the clouds) and walked to see Lake Eibsee for a minute (raining so didn't stay long)
Monday, August 4: Drove to Schliersee
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Schliersee, Germany
Monday, August 4: Arrive from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, check into hotel w/ cable car (epic views from our hotel and room/balcony, nice little sauna space, food was not great)
Tuesday, August 5: Run/walk around Lake Schliersee, sauna, hotel swings
Wednesday, August 6: Gym, chill, hotel toboggan run (funny and fun)
Thursday, August 7: Lake Chiemsee & ferry to see Castle Herrenchiemsee, then drive to Salzburg
Food was not our favorite here, but views and vibes were lovely
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Salzburg, Austria
Thursday, August 7: Rick Steves walking tour, spent a good amount of time in the coolest cemetery ever, took cable car up to Hohensalzburg Fortress to see viewpoint
Friday, August 8: breakfast and train to Vienna
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Vienna, Austria
Friday, August 8: Arrived by train at around 2:30pm; checked in to hotel; did Rick Steves tour 4:30-6:30pm (hit the main sights, pretty good - St. Stephen's Cathedral was amazing and tile roof is dope); dinner at Rinkhy @ 7pm (pretty good); saw Vivaldi's Four Seasons concert at Karlskirche (would recommend, cool to see concert in the old church)
Saturday, August 9: Breakfast and flea market, skipped Cafe Central because line was crazy long, saw the Arad-Vienna Rising Stars 2025 classical concert at Musikhaus @ 3:30pm (young pianists were super impressive), dinner at taco place near hotel (pretty good)
Sunday, August 10: Austrian National Library (pretty cool), tried the Kaiserschmarrn (pancake and plum dessert - not my fave), took train to Budapest @ 3:40pm
Really enjoyed Vienna and would go back. Tons of history, big but still charming and quaint-feeling.
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Budapest, Hungary
Monday, August 11: Sziget Festival - saw Chappell Roan, Portugal. The Man, drag show, queer tent discussion, walked around the grounds, did the ferris wheel (loved it all)
Tuesday, August 12:
Weds, August 13:
Thursday, August 14:
Friday, August 15:
Saturday, August 16:
Sunday, August 17: scooter accident, hospital (CT scan, x-ray, ultrasound), 23 euro bill
Monday, August 18:
Tuesday,
Budapest Jazz Club
Ruin Bars
Walking Tour
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Ljubljana, Slovenia
Wednesday, August 20: Arrived in Ljubljana by bus at 3:50pm, chill at airbnb
Thursday, August 21: Airbnb walking tour around the city w/ Bor (gave good recs for road trip), dinner at SushiMama
Walk up to castle
Friday, August 22: Coffee at Crno Zrno OR [Where Guide Recs.] (1) Tivoli Park and (2) Metelkova Mesto
Friday, August 22: Shopping spree at Decathlon for Dolomites trip
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Slovenia, Slovenia
Saturday, August 23: Pick up camper van @ 12:30pm, drove to Solcava to stay at Na Logu camping farm (really liked it, had llamas and goats, mountain views)
Sunday, August 24: drove through Logarska Dolina, hiked to Rinka Waterfall, drove part of the Solcava Panoramic Road (the two viewpoints were incredible)
- Monday, August 25: drove to Big Pasture trailhead and hiked 3+ hours to Velika Planina (AMAZING), had delicious mushroom soup at a hut restaurant along the way
- Tuesday, August 26: did Mala Osojnica hike (amazing views of Lake Bled, worth the tough climb); turkey sandwiches for lunch; Confectionary Zima for cream cake and coffee (recommend); Vintgar Gorge (incredible and peaceful, wanted to do again) and walk back through Triglav Nat'l Park and forest; pizza and trout in town near Bohinj (meh)
- Weds, August 27: slow morning, tuna melts for lunch, shuttle to Lake Bohinj - walk around the lake, bus to Ukanc side of lake to take Vogel cable car there and chair lift (both 10/10), shuttle back to campsite
- Thursday, August 28: 9:10 am car train to Soca Valley (arrive in Most Na Soci at 9:53 am) and then drive to Kranjska Gora via Vršič Pass. Hike Sunik Water Grove Trail (easy and lovely), walk around and jump in Soca River (Eric) at Great Soca Gorge, drive through Vršič Pass (tons of switchbacks but not too bad to drive and insanely epic views), stop at Russian Chapel (cool but not a must see), last-minute dinner res at Milka - two-star Michelin (great experience and vibes, outstanding service, dishes half amazing and half not my thing but still cool); stayed at Camp Spik in Kranjska Gora (big but liked a lot, had all amenities)
- Friday, August 29: Chill at camp for the day, check out Lake Jansa early evening, Balkan grill dinner at Lacni Kekec (pretty good, amazing bread)
- Sat, August 30: Walk around Lake Jansa with coffee, do Zelenci Nature Reserve walking path, stop at Maxi in Travisio to buy cured meats and cheeses for lunch (delicious), do short trail to Virje Waterfall (pretty cool), stay at Camping Liza (decent), watch college football.
- Sunday, August 31: drive past Napoleon's Bridge and hike along Soča river to Kozjak Waterfall (~30-mins — really liked but crowded), Kobarid WW1 Museum
- Monday, Sept 1: Tolmin Gorge (pretty and cool; slightly preferred Vintgar Gorge), Kanal Bridge Viewpoint, Skocjan Caves (SO cool, entire river and canyon under there)
- Tuesday, Sept 2: Drop van off by 10 am, bus to Venice
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Venice, Italy
Tuesday, Sept 2:
Wednesday, Sept 3: Rick Steve's Vaporetto Line 1 Tour
Thursday, Sept 4: Early bus to Cortina
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Dolomite Mountains, Italy
Thursday, Sept 4: Bus Venice to Cortina, shopping for hiking items, bus to Lago di Braies, stayed at Hotel Lago di Braies
Friday, Sept 5: Started Alta Via 1 hike! Stayed at Rifugio Biella (pretty rustic, hole toilets /tiny paid showers, meh bunks, but food was good and views were excellent)
Saturday, Sept 6: Lunch at Rifugio Pederu (good food), stay at Rifugio Lavarella (much nicer, showers were fab, outdoor chill area was lovely, really liked it)
Sunday, Sept 7: Hiked to Camping Sass Dlacia
Monday, Sept 8: Chill day at campground
Tuesday, Sept 9: Took bus to Lagazuoi cable car, went up to the top of the mountain for coffee and sandwich, then hiked to Rifugio Dibona and stayed there (pretty good, insanely delicious truffle mushroom pasta)
Weds, Sept 10: Hike to Cinque Torres in the rain, had lunch at Rifiguio Nuvalao (food was great but we were soaked), got a ride with fellow American back to Cortina, stayed at Hotel da Beppe Sello (good not great)
Thursday, Sept 11: Bus to Venice, then train to Bologna
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Venice, Italy
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Metropolitan City of Bologna, Italy
Thursday, Sept 11:
Sunday, Sept 14:
1:15pm: Lunch at L'Arimboldo (BOOKED)
MONDAY, SEPT. 15
1:15pm: Lunch at Trattoria Dal Biasanot (BOOKED)
- Jon recommends tagliatelle Bolognese.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 16
Chelsea in Ravenna (visit Dante's tomb, eat piadina, see mosaic churches; recs from Dan: Trattoria La Rustica for dinner, mosaic tour)
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 17
8pm: Dinner @ Alla'Osteria Botega (very good food, slow service, dumb Americans); back to Cremeria Cavour for gelato (some of the best ever - pistachio, dark choc, flor di panna)
THURSDAY, SEPT. 18
9:20am: Flight to Sarajevo (arriving 2:40pm)
RESTAURANTS
Trattoria di Via Serra
De Cesari
Sfoglia Rina
Portico di San Luca
University of Bologna
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Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
C plan
2-3 days in Mostar
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İstanbul, Türkiye
E plan
Bosphorus Cruise
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Cappadocia, Türkiye
C plan
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İzmir, Türkiye
Go to Bodrum
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Dublin, Ireland
Manchester first for Gaga concert? 10/8 https://www.ladygaga.com/us-en/live
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Killarney, Ireland
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Galway, Ireland
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Belfast, United Kingdom
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Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Inverness, United Kingdom
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Stirling, United Kingdom
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Skye, United Kingdom
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City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Morocco, Morocco
C plan
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Detroit, United States
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San Diego, United States
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Detroit, United States
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Washington, United States
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La Paz, Bolivia
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Sucre, Bolivia
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Uyuni, Bolivia
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Atacama, Chile
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Santiago, Chile
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Los Lagos, Chile
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El Calafate, Argentina
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Tokyo, Japan