Written by Brian

I've obtained a new understanding of "complicated politics" since visiting a region where the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, and Lutheran faiths have collided. The Romans, Venetians, Ottomans, Habsburgs, and countless other empires or dynasties have controlled this land over the centuries. The mixture and mingling of cultures, languages, and religions gave birth to an incredibly complex system prone to conflict.

In American minds, the Balkans are infamous for two things: Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination in Sarajevo which sparked WWI, and the awful wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. I learned the basics of the Balkan "powder keg" in high school history class and witnessed the bleak destruction of that war in the 1990s on television.

On this trip, we've visited Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. Together with Slovenia, Macedonia, and the semi-recognized Kosovo, these modern nations comprised Yugoslavia.

In the United States, we sincerely appreciate our freedoms. We thank the military service members who have sacrificed to procure and maintain those freedoms. We decry injustices. As a collective people, we genuinely seek to do "the right thing". However, we really don't recognize how good we have it.

One of the blessings of world travel is that you learn firsthand how regular people live in far-off places. Sadly, you can encounter many places where the contrast between our wealth and their poverty is appalling, and that delivers a crucial lesson. Living and human rights conditions are far worse in places like Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Congo, Myanmar, etc., but I believe the Balkans also hold an important lesson for us as a nation.

That lesson is this - our challenges and shortcomings are nowhere near insurmountable.

The city of Mostar is the capital of Herzegovina, a historic region long-paired in nationhood with Bosnia. We visited for three days on a side trip from Croatia. At the bus station, we were met by a handful of children under ten years old begging for spare change. We've met many destitute souls of all ages along our journey, but these kids were the most alarming - grabbing our sleeves and murmuring forlorn, persistent entreaties. It was shocking and saddening. A thirty-minute walk from the bus station brought us to our guesthouse. Apartments Konak is owned by Lejla and her husband (who we didn't get to meet). As young adults, they fled during the early 1990s to Germany, where they met and were married. Lejla and her husband are Bosniak Muslim, and were among the 3,000,000 people displaced during the wars between 1991 and 1999. Tens of thousands of others were raped or slaughtered as different ethnic and religious factions clashed. By far the most numerous and appalling atrocities were committed by the Serbians, who sought to retain control of the nations which had a small ethnically Serb population and declared independence in 1991.

Walking through any street in Mostar, we could put our fingers in the pits in walls caused by indiscriminate shelling and shooting. We saw pinpoints of light seeping through bullet holes in fence gates and doors. We examined trees growing like weeds inside the post-apocalyptic shells of buildings. We walked past at least three graveyards packed full of pure-white marble headstones all dating from 1993-1995. It is a chilling, solemn experience.

The Stari Most (literally old bridge) is a 16th century stone bridge shaped like an Ottoman arch in the center of town. The bridge is perhaps the most famous structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the proud symbol of Mostar. In 1995, when the city was largely vacated and the war was in its waning days, the Croats bombed the bridge until it collapsed. It was an act of cultural defamation, intended not just to destroy the fabric of the city, but the cultural pride and history of the Bosniaks.

Following such physical and mental destruction, one might expect Bosnia to linger in tatters for decades. But in the years after the war, many refugees returned, and the new nation along with help from the European Union made recovery a priority.

If countries like Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and, to some extent, Serbia can make so much progress in the past 15-20 years, the U.S. should be able to solve lingering issues like income inequality, human rights, racism, universal healthcare coverage, prison reform, educational attainment, and equitable public transportation.

Romania is a place filled with folklore and whispers. When you arrive, you quickly understand why. Steeped in violent history, including ruthless dictators, uprisings and the fall of communism, Romanians have only truly been a non-Communist democratic society with the most recent election of a president of German heritage. We were told his election was monumental because ethnic Germans were never permitted to be a part of the communist party, "guaranteeing" a more stable government.

After our flight in from Serbia to Bucharest, we took a three hour train ride to a small town nestled in the Carpathian Mountains. We spent a week in Brasov, pronounced Brah-shahv, in an AirBnb near the famous Biserica Neagra (Black Church.) Tip: Attend an organ concert at Black Church on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm for 10 LEI.

Brasov is guarded by a Mt. Tampa, complete with a cheesy take on a Hollywood sign, which replaced the old Stalin sign that had been etched into the mountain side. During the early Communist era, the city was renamed Stalin City in his honor.

Brasov is a city from fairytales and is truly magical. The old buildings feel like you're walking onto a movie set, and the city is small and compact, making it easy to get anywhere quickly.

We hiked to the top of Mt. Tampa following the blue trail, which was extremely steep. You can also take the cable car to the top for a much easier trip. The trails are very well-marked once you find the start; walk along the Tampa promenade and you will find one of the two trail heads.

The Free Walking Tour, which we also did in Bucharest, was worth the nearly four hours of walking as the information is great and helps you hit all the hotspots easily, including Black Church, Turnbul Alb and St. Nicolas Church.

Brasov is also a great place to use as a hub for day trips. The most famous day trip is to Bran Castle, the supposed inspiration for Stoker's Dracula. We had heard mixed reviews regarding this trip so we skipped it in favor of Peles (Pell-esh) Castle. The train to get there is a stop in Sinaia on both the in and outboard train from Bucharest and takes just over an hour. Cost differs depending on time of departure and the fast or slow train. Note: From the Brasov train station to the center bus hub Bus Route 4 is the fastest route. It arrived roughly every 10 minutes on the third minute of the hour.

Peles is definitely worth the day trip, opulent and extravagant. Don't bother with the taxi to the top. Walk out of the train station and straight up the hill through the park, hugging the right path. At the top of the park is a tree-covered trail with shops taking you up to the Castle. The nearby monastery is a worth a quick look and won't take more than 30 minutes.

Pack a lunch, grab a basket of the fresh berries being sold on every corner on your way back down and a drink at the "market" next to the train station in Sinaia. Note: Peles has extremely strict copyright laws and you will need to buy a special photo pass for 32 lei for personal use only. If you want to take the tour of the apartments buy the double ticket for 50 lei per person. This was worth the cost in our opinion.

From Brasov we took the train to Bucharest. Bucharest is a huge city, holding over a quarter of Romania's population. We did not stay in the Old Town due to the cost and scarcity of accommodations, but it would be worth the splurge. Bucharest is not unsafe per se, but it is not the most charming place we've been.

We got a great history of the city during our walking tour, but note, it's a LOT of walking. Being such a large city, the walking tour covers more than it probably should and took us nearly 4 hours. It is a great option, though, to hear about the main historical points in Bucharest.

With limited time in Bucharest, we did the walking tour, stopped at the People's Parliament House (did not take the tour as we heard it is average for how over the top the building really is) and had a great dinner at the locally loved "Beer Wagon" or Caru' cu Bere. Definitely try the cheese balls, which sounds weird, but they were incredible. We enjoyed our dinner with new friends, Drew and Kelly, Americans currently living in Abu Dhabi, who we met at our Peles Castle day trip.

Romania's countryside is truly beautiful and there are so many natural places to see. Similar to Montenegro, you could spend weeks here hiking to waterfalls and other beautiful sites. The economic conversion rate is great as well. Romania is definitely on our list to return to and spend additional time outside of the main cities.

Like we've mentioned before, Serbia is one of those places we are glad we visited, but may never visit again.

Serbia was a strange mixture of unique history and selective retelling of this history. We only had two days in Belgrade, Serbia but we made the most of it and visited nearly all of the historical sites.

Serbia is a huge city and the public transportation is fairly confusing, as are the streets. Unlike most other European cities, there are no signs in English so everything feels like guess work. Also, unlike many other European cities, few people speak English. We are not suggesting other countries should speak or write signs in English, but we definitely had gotten used to the convenience.

So, we struggled through Belgrade's highlights, including a very odd Serbian History Museum which was simply a propaganda museum to famous dictator, Joseph Tito, and twisted much of the history of the country; the famous Cathedral, still under construction after its destruction in the war; and the other National History Museum, which is totally closed for reconstruction.

The city itself is a strange mixture of the old and the new, having been bombed heavily by NATO, many buildings are still in ruins and the vibe of communism still lingers. The bombed-out Ministry of Defense building has not been cleared at all and still "stands" as a reminder of the actions of the Serbian government as well as outside powers. Many of the great historical stops are still in the process of being repaired, but it's a catch-22 because due to economic sanctions there are limited funds to rebuild much of what was bombed.

On the other hand, Serbians hold dear twisted facts like an overwhelming love for Nicola Tesla, who only visited Belgrade once in his lifetime. He was from modern-day Croatia, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not Yugoslavia. Serbs also lay claim to any land which was at one point a part of Yugoslavia but is now independent, such as Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. So if we mentioned we had been to these places we were encouraged with a "it's beautiful and a part of Yugoslavia."

Entertainment-wise, Belgrade is known for being a party city. There are dozens of floating nightclubs on the Danube River, which we purposefully avoided. They are popular hotspots for stag parties and Europeans looking to get drunk on the cheap to obnoxiously loud EDM music, and that's not our cup of tea. The restaurants, on the other hand, were pretty impressive. Both nights we had excellent meals for cheap. Dua Jelena (Two Deer) offers good traditional Serbian dishes and is located on classic Skadarska street, full of similar Serbian cafes, bars, and coffee shops. The next night on the opposite side of the river in the Zemun district of New Belgrade, we ate at Salon 5, a hiply-styled joint tucked away in an apartment building. It doesn't even have a sign on the door, so you have to know the exact address. The owner/chef, Nikola, was supremely hospitable and made excellent dishes for a very reasonable price.

Belgrade is rough around the edges, giving the impression of being unsafe, but it's quite the opposite. Most Serbs are still so plagued by the war that they discourage any type of wrong doing. In fact, it was one of the few places we went where we hardly saw any police officers and there really didn't appear to be a need. Serbs were also a bit more mistrusting of travelers than most other countries we've been to.

Combine all of this with our previous issue of not being able to get to neighboring Romania and the result was a mixture of intrigue and relief to leave what feels like a conflicted country.

Not every place we visit is on our must see list, but we go because we know we may never return.

Belgrade or Beograd, Serbia is one of those places. We decided to spend just a few days in the capital on our way to Brasov, Romania, located about three hours north of Bucharest, the capital.

We took an extremely long bus ride from Budva, Montenegro, arriving in Belgrade around eight p.m. When we arrive in a new place, the first thing we do is check the bus and train schedule at the station to our next destination, in this case, Brasov, Romania. (Most cities do not post the current schedule online for local routes.)

But, a funny thing happened in Belgrade when we asked for the bus to Romania. A shake of the head, a wave of the hand and a firm "no." Certain this was just a mistake due to our lack of Serbian language skills, we headed to the next ticket window. Five windows, eight people and a visit to the train station nearby all confirmed the unbelievable:

There are no buses to Romania! There are no trains to Romania!

Brian and I were incredulous and confused. It's the country next door. Relations aren't bad. We never quite got our answer except to guess that many Serbians simply don't travel much, causing the demise of many routes.

We were stuck. In Serbia. The entire walk to our hotel, we kept wondering out loud, laughing and occasionally humming Hotel California. "We are stuck in Serbia and we didn't even want to come to Serbia!" "There are no buses to Romania!" "We can't leave!"

Our research of the travel from Belgrade into Romania never showed any bus or train lines, but we never gave that a second thought as most schedules aren't posted. Like most cities, you just show up at the bus or train station and buy your ticket. We never thought there wouldn't be ANY option.

After getting to WIFI, we researched our alternatives. We found out the process for getting into Romania from Serbia comes with a few options:

1. 55-minute direct flight into Bucharest, then a train to Brasov

2. 9-hour train to Budapest, Hungary or Sofia, Bulgaria then another overnight train into Romania

3. 3-hour mini-bus to the border town of Vrac followed by three overnight train or bus connections to Brasov

This is like trying to get to Atlanta from Tampa, but having to drive through the Panhandle and up through Alabama.

After much debate over costs, complications and connections, we did the least adventurous thing and booked a $100 flight on AirSerbia, which turned out to be surprisingly nice.

Montenegro is truly a hidden gem of Eastern Europe. With sparkling waters of the Adriatic, fresh seafood at every restaurant but fewer crowds than Croatia, it makes for a remarkable find.

Montenegro is much easier to get around with a car, as some of the main, natural attractions are a bit tougher to get to via public transportation. We missed a few of these places, but we will happily return one day to complete the full tour.

Our time was divided by three days in Kotor, a short 35-minute bus ride from Dubrovnik, and Budva, a short 35-minute bus ride from Kotor.

Kotor

Kotor is set nestled into the coastline, surrounded by protective mountains which rise straight out of the water. Kotor Bay is so well protected that the waters are calm, even in windy conditions.

Kotor has a quaint little Old Town with so many shops and restaurant cafes. The Fortress overlooks the Old Town and is worth the strenuous, nearly 1,400 stairs to the top. Don't worry if you can't make it the entire way, the lookout at the midway point has a worthy view. The Fortress itself is a forgotten relic, falling into sad disrepair. It is a mixture of 18th century stone walls and 20th century concrete bunkers, which were used in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Unfortunately, trash and graffiti populate the upper portion of the fort. Take plenty of water with you.

Our highlight of Kotor was an evening sailing trip from Kotor to Tivat, a bigger town just outside the safe harbor. We enjoyed our four hours swimming, watching the sunset and admiring the beautiful scenery with our hosts, Katie and Tim, and our ship mates, two other couples, all from England.

We also took a day trip to Perast, an historical and preserved town just 20 minutes north of Kotor. It is a short, easy stroll and cafes line the waterfront beckoning you to sit in perfect views of the mountains and the two islands in the middle of the bay.

Budva

Budva is similar to the Daytona Beach of Montenegro, packed with touristy shops and restaurants.

We spent our full-day there on the beach, lounging with an incredible view of the Old Town Citadel. The small rocky beach on the south side of the Old Town offers a few cafes, which provide free lounge chairs and umbrellas, provided that you order a few drinks throughout the day. It's a very relaxing way to pass the day. The Citadel is a great place to experience the sunset, with views over each side of the peninsula.

The Old Town, or Stari Grad, of Budva resembles that of Kotor. It is small but packed with cafes and shops. Stone walls and buildings are fairly well-preserved. It's easy to get lost in the winding alleys, but luckily you can walk across this minuscule old town in five minutes. Just outside the old town, the waterfront promenade extends at least a mile along the bay. Its pebbly beaches are packed with restaurants, night clubs, video game arcades, and playgrounds. Budva is clearly the spot for family vacations or beach clubbing for Montenegrans, Serbians, and Croatians, since we hardly encountered any English speakers in the town.

Montenegro felt like a vacation. It is very relaxed where you can easily do nothing, or you can fill your time hiking and seeing the many natural wonders it offers. We will look forward to returning to experience several of the national parks, which were just too inconvenient to reach via public transportation.

So much Croatia hype as we were planning our Eastern Europe itinerary. Every traveler insisted-GO. Brian's parents encouraged more-GO. So we went and we are so happy we made it to Croatia (Hrvatska to the locals) on this trip. It really is a stunning country. We started our time in Zagreb, traveling south to Plitvice, Split, Hvar and finally, Dubrovnik.

Here are our favorite things by city:

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, but is not a large city. Most of cities have an Old Town, so we stayed in an apartment within walking distance. There isn't a ton to see in Zagreb, but is known for its live music in the parks many days of the week.

Historically, a cannon was fired every day at noon for people to set their clocks by and the city reinstated the tradition following the war. A climb to the top of Lotrscak Tower is worth the view. Just be mindful of the very low ceilings.

Nearby is the Museum of Broken Relationships, a modern showcase of love lost from every day people. It's a very interesting concept and borders the hilarious and the painful.

A stop at celebrated wine shop, Bornsteins, was a highlight. The somm plays geographical expert and showcases wine from all regions of Croatia. Bonus: they also ship wine to the States.

Plitvice

Plitvice is known for one thing-the national park-and it is well worth a full day hiking. The paths are fairly easy, but the maps are a bit difficult. The scenery is like nothing we've seen before. The falls are everywhere and truly stunning.

We followed the great advice of our host, entered at the second entrance and took the ferry to stop 2, hiked this portion and then took the ferry to the larger falls. This was indeed the best way to spend our day, limiting competing with the day trippers who start at the large falls. Pack a picnic and eat in the park at location 3.

There is nothing else to do in Plitvice and it really is easier to have a car as there are no sidewalks, guest houses are a good hike from the park and the nearest true grocery store is about a 15-minute drive away. The restaurants nearby are all average at best, so stay in a place with a restaurant or community kitchen.

Split

Split is a historic town built right into Roman ruins. It is an intriguing place to visit and worth at least two days. Stay three days and you can receive a free pass to see the majority of the historical sites. Just ask your hotel/host for one and they will get a Split Card from the tourist office.

Wander the Riva and enjoy a bottle of wine on a white bench as the sun sets, eat at locally renowned Fife for a cheap meal and Sperun for the best fried calamari we've ever eaten. Our waiter was also a riot; we were sure he was drunk.

Because the city itself is ruins, it's easy to hop from site to site. The hike up to the top of bell tower is worth the 15 kuna extra.

Day trip from Split: Trogier

A short bus ride from Split lies a lovely island called Trogier. Go. It's an enchanting little town and makes an easy afternoon walking the entire island, stopping to put your feet in the cool, blue Adriatic or eating Ferraro Rocher gelato.

Hvar

Hvar Island boasts several small towns, but the most well-known is Hvar Town. It is a magical place and is quickly becoming one of the "must visit" places of Croatia. It is very pricey compared to the mainland, but bite the bullet and go.

There are two ferry companies that run to the island, but Jadrolinija has a direct catamaran to Hvar Town from Split. Do not take the ferry to Stari Grad Town. The town isn't really worth the time and if you miss one of only three buses to Hvar Town during the day, you're stuck with a very expensive taxi ride, nearly $50.

The majority of the restaurants in Hvar Town are pricey, but carry fresh seafood. It's tough to have a "miss" at any restaurant. We enjoyed a great meal from Lucullus, the wild boar and lavender gnocchi were great, along with a monkfish stew. We also heard great things about Dalmatino.

Walk to the top of the fort for spectacular views of the Adriatic Sea close to sunset. It's incredible the way the city lights up and the sun shimmers off the water.

Dubrovnik

Nearly everyone we know who has been to Croatia went on a cruise and stopped in Dubrovnik. It's a charming city, but is even more charming once the cruise ships leave for the day. The city settles a bit into a more relaxed, beach town vibe.

There is a lot to see within the walls, so the one- or two-day tourist card is a good buy at 150-200 kuna, as every museum seems to cost 100 kuna apiece. It is definitely worth the walk around the walls. Go after 5 pm-the wall closes at 7 pm-you have the wall to yourself compared to 2 pm. Pick one of the cafe along the way and relax, enjoying the view.

A must of Dubrovnik is a drink at Buza Bar. This tiny place really does have the best view in the world. Relax, feel the breeze and sip an ice cold beverage taking in the views. Perfection.

Oysters are also plentiful at most restaurants and worth an order of six or more. At Bota Sushi (delicious, but seriously overpriced) we had the absolute best-both fresh and tempura fried (ok, those were worth the price!) The oysters are harvested in a specific location called Ston, where the temperature changes each hour, giving them the best taste. A bit of lemon and bottoms up!

If you have time, take a half-day kayak tour around the island. Dalmatia Adventure Company provides a sandwich lunch, water and snorkeling gear for 230 kuna each-a steal compared to the price other rental companies offered. Just be mindful the day isn't windy-it's a TOUGH paddle if the wind picks up.

Side trip: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

From Dubrovnik, you can also take a day trip into Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bus ride is close to three hours one way and costs 40 Euro. We stopped in Mostar between Hvar and Dubrovnik and it is well worth a day.

Spend time at the Mostar Old Bridge History Museum, the video is wordless and it's probably best, because your heart will be ripped apart at the images of the war.

Take a guided walking tour to really understand the dynamics of the city, a melting pot of many different religions, stopping at one of the many cemeteries, where all the gravestones bear the same year of death-1993. This city will tear at you emotionally, as the buildings still have pock marks from all the bombings. Then you see how far things have progressed since only just 1999-2000 and you feel the spirit of this people. Overwhelming.

Enjoy lunch at Han Restaurant and get the meat and spicy vegetable stew. You will not be disappointed. Also, grab a Bosnian coffee from one of the cafes. It will knock your socks off. (Use only 1 sugar first.)

Before you leave, make sure you see one of the local boys jump from the famous Old Bridge. This tradition goes back to the 1960s and a competition is held annually. 70 feet into the second fastest flowing (and freezing!) river in Europe is quite the sight.

Croatia is a magnificent country and we are glad we covered the majority of the must-see places. Croatia felt a bit more like a vacation to us as opposed to traveling. We also realized how much of water people we truly are. We were thrilled to relax on a beach or two, kayak and enjoy the sunsets following a warm day.

Budapest really captured our hearts during our time in the city. Brian had been once before, but the time was limited to only 2 days, so we were both eager to see this lesser-visited city.

Budapest falls to the wayside many times for its big brother, Prague and big sister, Vienna, but we knew Budapest would be just the right place for us to spend eight days before our whirlwind Eastern Europe trek.

Budapest is pretty incredible, with a history they don't shy away from and a future they continue to push toward with great development. Nearly every person speaks English, which was an added bonus because Hungarian (Magyar to the locals) is like no other language on earth. Nearly every restaurant looks incredible, and they are everywhere, covering any food type you could want. Green space abounds, historical buildings have been restored, the river boasts a riverwalk on both sides. It is also extremely affordable with a conversion rate of 271 Forint to 1 USD. We found everything we could want in a city in Budapest.

Alright, enough of the raving...here is our Must See and Do List for the great Budapest in no particular order (although you know we are partial to food and beverage experiences):

1. Eat at a Michelin starred restaurant for a reasonable price. We ate at Borkonyha | Winekitchen and would highly recommend it. The food was exceptional, the service was friendly and helpful and the atmosphere is more casual than most other restaurants of similar accolades. The economic exchange rate is definitely in our favor and our meal, with wine and dessert was around $120. Reservations a must, several weeks out.

2. Try Hungarian wine at Faust Wine Cellars. While not widely known to Americans, Hungary has many wine regions and makes some seriously great wines. Faust Wine Cellars is a 6- or 9- glass tasting experience and also a location experience. The 200-year-old cellar is located deep underneath the Hilton on the Buda side of the Danube. A husband and wife team play host to wines from lesser known vineyards while giving a geography lesson as well. Our favorite was an aged white wine from Scheller Vineyards. Reservations a must, several weeks out. Cost: 5,400 Forints/person

3. Spend a day at the Baths. We spent a day at the most popular bath in City Park, Szechenyi Baths. Essentially a series of community hot tubs, large and small with "healing powers," the experience really did leave us feeling relaxed, albeit a little grossed out. I don't think we will rush to spend a day at other baths, but it's certainly a local experience. Budapest has many other baths, ranging from small and private, to hundreds of years old, etc. Learn how to spend a day at the baths HERE. Cost: 4,500 Forint

4. Hit the landmarks in an easy walking tour. We utilized Big Boy Travel for a self-guided tour. Some of the info is a bit tough to follow, but you can easily piece together your own tour of any neighborhood. Our advice is to grab a lunch of Langos, delicious fried bread with a variety of toppings, at the Great Market Hall's third level and finish your day at the top of Castle Hill to watch the sunset over Parliament.

5. Watch the fountain show at Margaret Park. This park is an island between the two sides and is a great place to be lazy for a day or go for a run on their recycled tire trail (better for your joints.) The fountain in the middle puts on a show every hour, on the hour to various musical themes. One hour it's children's songs, the next Mozart, the next The Beatles. Throw down a blanket nearby and get a 10-minute treat every hour.

6. Find our favorite spot and watch the lights come on across the city. When standing at the Chain Bridge, looking toward Buda, take the right stairs down to the river and head toward Parliament. On your left is the river and you should see a large stone flag pole. Nearby is a bench that gives you the best view of Chain Bridge, Castle Hill and Gellert Hill. Bring a bottle of wine and relax as people stroll by, the sun sets and the lights ready the city for night. Note: open container isn't illegal or if it is, no one bothers you. People gather in parks, on benches all with beer, wine, etc.

7. Experience the weirdness of a Ruin Pub. Since Budapest rebuilt after the end of communism, old buildings quickly became bars and restaurants, but there is nothing like a Ruin Pub. Local watering holes are tucked into dingy old buildings that seem to go on forever. Our favorite was Szimpla Kert. Wander around in any direction, including up the stairs and you'll find that every area is packed.

8. Palinka! A fun word for Hungarian fruit-flavored Brandy. The alcohol is essentially schnapps and packs a mean punch. One sip and I was certain my throat was burned from the harshness. Brian loved it, of course. There are two palinka festivals each year, spring and fall, and the locals come out in full support of the fruit of the year. 2015 is the year of the apple. Palinka is served everywhere. You should definitely try it, but you've been warned.

9. Take in an opera at the Hungarian Opera House. This building is incredible! It supposedly has the third best acoustics in the world. Tickets can be purchased online or the day of the show at the office inside (although, many shows sell out before the day-of.) We went for the cheaper tickets ($10) and had box seats. While the box is neat, it's not recommended as they pack 8 people into a box with "tiered" seating. Note: operas last nearly 3.5 hours including delayed starts, set changes and intermission. Plan accordingly.

Other miscellaneous tips:

-Budapest is an extremely walkable city, with limited need for public transportation. We noticed many locals did not pay for a ride on the bus or the metro, but this is one time to not act like a local. Ticket checkers have become more common, so be sure to pay for the ride.

-Try a chimney cake. The best and freshest was a stall located near the "nicest" McDonald's in the world on Terez Korut near the local train station. The hot dough is cooked over a "spit" and then coated in a topping of your choice. (The Mickey Dee's is also worth a peek. It really is the nicest we've ever seen.)

-Grab a coffee from New York Cafe. Seriously the most gorgeous interior of a building. It's the Hungarian Opera House of coffee shops.

-Have a Rosa Gelato. This gelato shop has a line around the block, but it moves quickly. For just under $4, you can get a rose-shaped gelato. Tip: Whichever flavor you want the most of, order first. They will also fill your cone with Nutella for $.50 more. Get the Nutella.

-You can get a traditional meal at either Belvarosi Disznotoros or Kadar Etkezde.   At Belvarosi, you order the meat, they cook it on the grill, then add sides. Don't worry that you don't know the price/weight. Our entire meal was under $6 each, including drinks. At Kadar, you get to eat with the localist of locals. You are charged by piece of bread and glass of water on the honor system.

Budapest offers many public bath houses and we were definitely a bit nervous about going to one. But, when in Budapest a visit is a must.

Here are some tips to help should you be in a similar and nervous situation like us.

1. Check the Budapest Baths website for information on the many options. We chose Szechenyi Baths because it was closer, larger and most popular. We assumed correctly that it would also be easier to navigate.

2. Pack your own towel to prevent a rental fee, a change of clothes, sunscreen for the outdoor pools and flip flops. Most places have electronic bands you wear that also lock your locker, so you won't need a luggage lock.

3. Don't be fooled by the pretty girl at the front trying to sell an expensive spa package. Head to the counter to pay the cheapest fee of 4,500 Forint. As long as you don't need a private changing room (which you essentially will get anyway) you don't need the additional cost.

4. In Szechenyi, it is co-ed all the time. You enter a locker room and walk into a stall. The stall connects the entrance to the locker area. Close both doors and pull the seat down. This locks the door. Change and exit to find a locker for your things.

5. Rinse off. Showers are located on either side. Once rinsed, you enter the indoor portion of the baths.

6. The temperature is on a sign above each bath. One cold pool is available as your final plunge to refresh you.

Shower off, grab your towel and change in the stalls again and you've enjoyed your day at the baths!

Note: some baths allow outdoor food and photos, but check before you enter.

We had a layover in Germany and stayed in a hotel near the airport. We had been stamped into Germany, Euro zone, European Union and Schengen zone. The European Union and the Schengen zone are not the same, with certain countries participating in each. Then there is the Euro zone, which is the countries that participate in the Euro currency. This would lead to much confusion over the next day and the following week.

The next morning, we mistakenly were stamped out of Germany, Euro Union and Schengen zone after we missed the concept that immigration was only for the gate next to ours.

So, after a delay with our flight, we touched down in Budapest and we essentially were in no-mans land. Because we were flying in from Schengen zone to Schengen zone, we didn't go through immigration to receive another stamp.

Now we were stuck. Not wanting to be considered illegal, we went on a search to find the immigration help desk. In Frankfort's smaller airport, this proved to be an impossible task of being passed along from desk to desk. Finally, the woman at the help desk realized what we were trying to communicate and went in search of an immigration official to check.

My hope was that we could find someone from immigration who would stamp us in to Hungary, showing the same day exit stamp from Germany. Immigration didn't see this as the (logical) solution and instead came back after 20 minutes with our passports to simply tell us to hold on to our entry flight tickets when we get to our next border crossing. Not the answer I was hoping for.

Our next border crossing would come nine days later at the Croatian border via train. Croatia is a part of the European Union but not a part of the Schengen zone (or Euro zone.) We were prepared with our documents, but we'd heard the Hungarian border agents were fairly tough. We had also committed to not bringing up the subject voluntarily, but would provide our documents upon request. It's not that we were scared of truly doing something illegal, it was more the hassle of having to explain to an immigration officer the situation and potentially being asked to leave the train to get through the whole story.

We came into the border town and the train came to a stop to allow Hungarian and Croatian immigration to go through the train.

We held our breath as the man rifled through our passports, knowing our entry and exit stamps were sitting right next to one another.

He lingered on a page. We kept silent.

A swipe of the passport through his handheld and then a loud "CLUNK" of his stamp and we were out of Hungary without a word.

The Croatian immigration agent followed a similar process and we breathed a sigh of relief as we were officially legal again.

The rules are so complicated and each country is responsible for enforcing the laws developed by the treaties and union contracts. It appeared that even local immigration officials can't even keep them all straight.

Our best advice is to be mindful of not overstaying your welcome (90 out of every 180 days in the Schengen zone) and if there is an immigration booth at a gate area, double check you need to be stamped. The rules are just so complicated and while they make sense in the simplest terms, when you are stuck in no-mans land between countries, they become much more difficult to decipher.  

We visited Madrid for 5 days and fortunately were able to be there for a scheduled match. In all my searching, I could not find an authoritative guide on how to purchase tickets to a Real Madrid home match. For American sports games, it is usually straightforward how to purchase official tickets or how to find them on an aftermarket website. My experience was a bit crazier, and it reinforces my long-held belief that Ticketmaster is a bunch of monopolizing thieves that exist to infuriate customers.

Tickets for the Real Madrid v Malaga CF match got released one week ahead of time. Usually, tickets for public purchase are not released until this time. Both the official Real Madrid website and Ticketmaster sell the seats. The crunch for tickets can be explained by the fact that in an 80,000 seat capacity stadium, 68,000 seats are taken by season ticket holders. Unfortunately for us, we were in Uruguay at the appointed time. I set my alarm for 5:00 AM, because the tickets got released at 10:00 AM Madrid time, and there was a five hour difference.

I stumbled into the bathroom and shut the door so that the light wouldn't wake Lindsay up. I immediately pulled up the RM website and got to work on the hotel's weak wifi connection. The ticket system is easy to navigate and brings up a stadium map broken into quadrants with available seats listed by a number. After you click on a quadrant, it zooms to bring up the sections, then the actual seat available. I selected two seats, and tried to proceed to checkout. By the time the page reloaded, the seats were deemed "unavailable" and must have been scooped up by someone else. I was forced to start the whole process over from the homepage, and went through this for at least five iterations with the same result.

With my frustration mounting, I grabbed Lindsay's cell phone and tried to double time it on Real Madrid's website and Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster was a disaster of customer experience. They make you select a section and seats based on name only, without seeing a stadium map, because of course you are on an Apple device that doesn't support the full system. Their ticket availability was awful, and I wasn't able to find any two adjacent seats in the whole stadium.

My original hope was that I could wake up and 5:00 and be back in bed by 6:00 so I could get a few more hours sleep. By 7:00, I was at my wits' end. Lindsay woke up and tried to help me, and all the while tickets kept slipping away and the systems were log-jammed. We finally reached the ticket check-out stage on the RM website, entered all our credit card information, and received the message that they couldn't process a foreign credit card. Rage welled up inside me like never before! After two hours of attempts, I admitted defeat and decided to deal with it when we arrived in Spain.

I threw on some clothes and ventured to the hotel lobby for breakfast. After two cups of coffee and some pastries, I still couldn't let the frustration go.

I jumped on the lobby's desktop computer to try again. The connection was quicker, but the results were the same. No success.

I had read the previous night of an alternative service, Viagogo. It is a third-party website, similar to Stub Hub, that resells tickets for individuals. However, the customer reviews are mixed and some people have either bought bogus tickets or the tickets never got delivered. I was reluctant to try this in spite of Viagogo's "coverall" guarantee.

However, after spending three-plus hours striking out, I decided to buy tickets on Viagogo. The tickets cost 150 euro each, which was a reasonable deal, and were email-delivered e-tickets. The other option is physical tickets that you must coordinate a pickup with the owner or pickup from the box office (in reportedly long lines). I bought the tickets online and held my breath for a week in hopes that the tickets would work.

Two days before the match, Viagogo sent me an email to download the e-tickets. I printed them out a copy shop down the street from our hotel. My anxiety didn't fully abate until we entered Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and the ticket-takers scanned the barcodes and the turnstile light turned green. Success!

I can honestly say the Viagogo process was much easier than fighting though website functionality issues on both the RM and Ticketmaster websites. We paid about a 40 euro markup on the tickets, as can be expected from a reseller, but the seats were incredible and well worth the money. We got to watch the match from the second level at perfect mid-field. So close you could see the hair gel glisten off Christiano Ronaldo's prettyboy head. Our seats were on the West (Castellano) side of the stadium. This is the best side. The north and south are goal sides where the view is bad or you have to deal with the small section of Socios (hooligans). The east side faces the sun in the afternoon and the glare appeared pretty bad over there.

The game experience at Satiago Bernabeu Stadium is pretty high-class. It's a nicely kept stadium and was full of business people and families. It's a vast difference from our match experience in Montevideo with their lunatic fans. Although, I did miss the passion for the game exhibited when you let a ton of hooligans into the stadium. The Real Madrid fans lacked a certain rabid and overzealous quality that makes fútbol so different from football.

If you can get though the ticketing experience, I highly recommend attending a Real Madrid match. It's like watching a Yankees game in New York: it's overhyped but also quintessential. It might be more authentic to root for an underdog, but it's more fun to watch a winning team.