Europe 2023

I have travelled quite a bit around Europe and seen lots of places and things (and still feel like I've barely scratched the surface). But in all those travels, I have never been to the United Kingdom! And, like Europe, there are so many places and things there. I could never get through it all in one trip, or even 3 or 4 trips. So I had decided to just enjoy the time that I did have, and not to rush to fit everything in. It'll still be there next time (unless, of course, there is an epic planetary disaster or Putin decides to go nuclear...). I had found a really good deal for my accommodation. It was fairly central (in Whitechapel), a self-contained, one bedroom apartment. I had 4 nights booked, so three full days to explore as much of London as I could, without rushing through things and not making the most of it. I just had to keep reminding myself that I would be back. This wasn't a 'one-chance-only' visit.  I had flown in to Gatwick Airport and, to be honest, I...

The next morning (Saturday) we were leaving Vilnius; Georgia to fly back to Rome and reality, and me to go on to Vienna briefly and then Ljubljana in Slovenia. Nicely, our flights were only about half an hour apart at lunchtime, so we headed to the airport together. Because I was on a Finn Air flight I had to go from Lithuania to Austria via Helsinki (I had to go north to go south...), so I didn't get into Vienna until evening. I only had one full day in Vienna. I'd been here before and the temptation to have a rest day and stay in my room and read and chill was pretty strong! But I can read and chill at home. I went towards the city and spent a few hours visiting Belvedere Palace and Gardens. There are actually 2 parts to the Palace... Upper Belvedere and Lower Belvedere, with the gardens between them. Upper Belvedere Upper Belvedere Lower Belvedere The castles both contain huge amounts of art from many periods throughout history. But I've never been much into art. I love ...