Kiev to the Balkans

The bus ride from Belgrade to Pristina, Kosovo was a long one (just over 6 hours).  The bus was fairly full since there aren't many buses that travel this route.  Overall the trip was fine, although we arrived 45 minutes late due to some delays at the border.  I originally planned to take the local bus to the apartment I was renting, but I decided to spend a few extra bucks to get there quicker.  After a few minutes of haggling with the taxi driver over the fare, we headed to the apartment which was only 7 minutes away. I got my first introduction to the crazy drivers in Kosovo when the taxi guy didn't want to wait in the long line of cars in the left turn lane, so he drove in the middle lane until we reached the light (which had just turned red) & then he cut across the road to make a left turn.  We somehow managed to make to the apartment without getting in a wreck. The young lady (Diellza) that I was renting the apartment from was really nice & he...

I normally look forward to train rides, but to take 8.5 hours to go 200 miles is ridiculous, but I didn't have any better options to get from Budapest to Belgrade.  Also the train had no food on board, so I had to stock on supplies the night before.  The ride wasn't bad, the train had AC for most of the trip & was fairly quiet too. I arrived in Belgrade a little late & headed to the apartment I was renting for 3 nights.  The place was decent for $20 per night & it was about a 20 minute walk to the tourist area downtown or just a few minutes on the bus. I don't think anyone would describe Belgrade as a beautiful city with lots of great tourist attraction.  I guess the best description would be gritty.  Serbia has struggled economically since the wars in the 1990s & there are still a few damaged buildings that are unrepaired from the NATO bombings in 1999.  I think the city has been bombed at least 40 times in various wars.  I have t...

When I was in Russia, I remember chewing some gum & feeling something was wrong with one of my back teeth.  I am guessing now that there must have been a crack in that tooth.  A few weeks later on my last night in Budapest when I was flossing my teeth, the dental floss caught a rough spot on my tooth & when I pulled on it a large piece of that tooth came out. Fortunately there was no pain & the filling in that tooth stayed intact.  I did a search for dentists in Belgrade that treated Americans & found a dentist that had a good recommendation.  I emailed him at 10:30 at night & he responded back 10 minutes later that he could see me when I was in Belgrade.  The owner of the apartment that I was renting was nice enough to call the office & set up an appointment for me. http://www.stomatolog-beograd.rs/#/tim.php Dr. Pavlovic is an excellent dentist & a really nice guy.  The office was fairly small, but clean & modern....

Although I enjoyed the opportunity to visit Russia again, I was glad to leave the bad weather behind for warm & sunny Budapest.  The flight on Wizzair was great.  I had a whole row to myself near the front of the plane.  The guy in immigration in Budapest seemed excited that I was born in Ohio & even showed my passport to another official mentioning Ohio twice.  I quickly picked up a transit pass & headed into town.  It is nice to visit new places, but I really enjoyed coming back to Budapest for my third visit. I realized after my first long trip to Europe that I needed to take a break from going to a new city every 2-5 days & find a place to stay in the middle of my trip for 10-12 days to relax.  I stayed in Budapest for 11 days, spending 5 days at an Airbnb apartment & 6 days at the Park Inn (free nights using points).  I tried to get in some running every day, but overdid a little bit & my legs were sore for a few days. ...