From Texas to Beyond

Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Category: Adventures (Page 2 of 4)

Sunset Over Dubrovnik from Mount Srd
Sunset Over Dubrovnik from Mount Srd

Why We Went to Slovenia and Croatia

November 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

David and I wanted to make a “last hurrah” trip before our new addition to the family arrived.  We knew, at least for a while, travel would look a little different for us with a baby boy in tow.  We couldn’t swing Iceland, a place top on my list, so after some research, we headed to Slovenia and Croatia (and a long layover in Madrid).  Both before and after our journey, the predominant question from friends, family and strangers was, “Why the hee-haw did y’all go there?”  (That is the Rebekah version of the question.)

David & Rebekah at Bled Castle, Slovenia

David & Rebekah at Bled Castle

Four Reasons…

1. I saw a Rick Steves show on Lake Bled in Slovenia and thought it looked enchanting.

2. A friend had visited Plitvice Lakes, and immediately I added it on my bucket list.

3. I wanted to experience something new that I had little or no prior context.

4. David had really enjoyed delving into Central Europe during our previous trip to Prague, and we wanted to explore more of this delightful region.

Veliki Slap Falls at Lake Plitvice National Park

Veliki Slap Falls at Lake Plitvice National Park

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Prishtina, Kosovo - Skenderbeu Square in Downtown Prishtina
Skenderbeu Square in Downtown Prishtina

Why You Should Visit Kosovo: Prishtina

November 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Guest Blogger and my good friend John Seale bring us a four part series on his recent journeys, beginning with a brief layover in Vienna and continuing today in Prishtina, Kosovo. John is one of my frequent travel partners, from across Texas to the other side of the world (2 trips to Kenya). From Texas to Beyond is excited to bring you his unique perspectives on travel, along with some fascinating locations in Kosovo and Albania.

Europe is a small continent where numerous ethnic groups are smashed together in close proximity. The Balkans are the same way, but on an even smaller scale. The sheer number of countries that Yugoslavia broke into (7) tells you how diverse the region is. My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Kosovo and Albania in 2015, as my sister has lived there for a number of years. Kosovo is ethnically and linguistically Albanian, but for several years it was yoked with Serbia, with whom they share almost nothing except mutual dislike. Since their independence, Kosovo is now a nearly unknown destination for tourists.

Prishtina, Kosovo - The Newborn Statue, a Make-Your-Own-Art Kind of Thing

The Newborn Statue, a Make-Your-Own-Art Kind of Thing

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In Case You Missed It…Czech Republic

July 18, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Every couple weeks we’ll be collecting links from past posts grouped together by location; we thought it handy to have everything in one convenient location as you plan your upcoming travels. We just finished a couple different series featuring the Czech Republic, so here’s your recap:

Prague

Church of Our Lady before Týn

Church of Our Lady before Týn

Prague City Overview: Prague is a wonderful city! We were excited to sample the greatest parts of the Czech culture during our two day visit.

Hotel Hastal Prague Old Town: Hotel Hastal features clean, comfortable hotel rooms with convenient access to Prague’s Old Town for an economical price.

Old Town Square-Prague: The Prague Old Town Square includes the Týn Church, the Church of St. Nicholas, the Jan Hus statue, and the Old Town Hall with its Astronomical Clock.

The Slav Epic: Czech artist Alfons Mucha painted his 20-canvas masterpieces, the Slav Epic, housed in the Veletržní Palace in Prague.

National Cemetery in Vyšehrad

National Cemetery in Vyšehrad

Czech Beer: Czechs love beer. While in Prague and Český Krumlov, we enjoyed experiencing this integral part of the culture by sampling some great Czech beers.

Foreigners in a Local’s Pub: What is it like to drink a pint and eat cheese at the local’s pub? In Prague, this is a serious venture at the Golden Tiger.

St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral

The Music of Prague: With Prague’s rich and beautiful musical heritage, treat yourself to a concert! You will not be disappointed.

Prague Castle: Explore the squares, palaces, and churches of Prague Castle and miss the crowds completely by taking a romantic late night stroll.

Saint Vitus Cathedral: If you are in Prague, you must visit the Prague Castle and the stunning Saint Vitus Cathedral with its Mucha stained glass window.

Vyšehrad – Prague: When visiting Prague, you must visit Vyšehrad for scenic views, a relaxing time, and a beautiful insight into Czech artistry and history.

Český Krumlov

View of Church of Saint Vitus from Český Krumlov Castle

View of Church of Saint Vitus from Český Krumlov Castle

Český Krumlov Town Overview: The small, picturesque town of Český Krumlov provides an additional perspective of the Czech Republic beyond Prague.

Pension U Zámku: Pension U Zámku provides a wonderful bed and breakfast experience conveniently located under Český Krumlov Castle at a great price.

Český Krumlov Castle: The main attraction in this small Czech Town is Český Krumlov Castle, complete with a tower, bear pits, bridges, gardens, and panoramic views.

Český Krumlov Castle Gardens & Round Tower: Continuing our look into the Český Krumlov Castle complex, we explore the Castle’s Gardens and climb the Round Tower for a view of the Czech countryside.

Český Krumlov Castle At Night

Český Krumlov Castle At Night

View of Český Krumlov from Hill of the Cross: Enjoy a peaceful sunset view of Český Krumlov just minutes away from the town center.

Český Krumlov Theater: You will travel back in time when you visit the Český Krumlov Baroque Theater, one of two preserved Baroque theaters in the world.

Český Krumlov After Dark: Grab a beer and enjoy a traditional Czech meal at the Gypsy Bar before a romantic stroll through the lamp-lit town of Český Krumlov at midnight.

The People of the Czech Republic: The most enjoyable part of traveling is meeting locals. Our interaction with the caring Czech people was a highlight of our trip!

The Round Tower at Cesky Krumlov Castle

The Round Tower at Cesky Krumlov Castle

South Bend, IN Overview

July 13, 2015 / / 0 Comments

The first year or so of our time in Chicago was HARD. It was challenging physically, emotionally, spiritually; we were in our first year of marriage, I had some health issues that cropped up, and Matt was learning a very demanding job. We frequently (about once a month) took short trips for quick weekend escapes. It was during this time that we felt rested and enjoyed connecting with each other as we explored new places together.

We decided on a whim on a Monday that we would go out of town the following weekend. We didn’t know where or what we would do, we just knew we needed to get away. So, I set to researching! As I started to plan our trip, I checked the forecast and saw we could be in for some snow. But, it was Monday, so I set to planning with the thought in mind that “we won’t go far”.

Looking at a map to determine what “far” meant, I saw South Bend, IN. It wasn’t huge on the map but also not so small that there wouldn’t be things to do there. So, I set to researching to see if I could set an itinerary. Yelp and TripAdvisor (otherwise known as my trip planning BFFs) listed several restaurants we could try as well as things to do. After doing some research, I shared our potential itinerary with Matt. He was initially reluctant because…well, it honestly wasn’t that exciting on paper. But, it was going to be a short trip, and really we just wanted to get away, so we decided to move forward. Matt found a hotel and I worked on getting all the other details together.

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Backpack v. Suitcase – Which is the Best Option?

May 21, 2015 / / 8 Comments

A few years ago when David and I traveled to Italy, we were trying to decide what the best option would be to take all our gear and what would be versatile enough for the type of trip we were going on. We were going on a 11 day multi-city tour of Italy and would be doing a lot of walking from one transportation site to the hotel/destination and vice versa.  We did not want to be to burdened with having items in our hands while we try to figure out where we needed to go or in case we needed to hold onto a rail in a subway/train. We were left with the age-long conundrum of do we use a suitcase or do we get a backpack? We decided to go to a local Backwoods store and see what our options were and if there was a backpack that would fit our trip.

Before we knew it, we stepped into a whole new world that I was never expecting. There was a backpack for every occasion! There were backpacks that talked about liters and weight, and the next thing I knew I was lost. I never had to think about all this with a suitcase. There were straps everywhere and some had secret compartments for valuables or sleeping bags. After thinking about it and looking at our options, we thought the backpack was best for this trip, but we also had to weigh any future trips since the initial investment was around $300-$350. Would we be able use these bags more than once? Can we use them for hiking trips? Are they durable enough to go on multiple international/domestic flights? Neither of us wanted to spend all this money for just one trip. After weighing our options and thinking about future trips, we decided on the backpack.

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