Budapest was a quick layover for sightseeing and eating local specialties . It was TotalAdventure’s first visit since 1983 – when the Red Star of Communism was at the top of the Parliament Building.

We arrived early on Sunday morning , June 19, after an overnight journey form Krakow, through Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Though we had First Class Eurail, only second class sleepers were available. Comfortable enough.

Our luxury hotel ( quite cheap ) , the Buddha Bar was just across the bridge.

No Euro here. At 285 forint to the  U.S. Dollar, gourmet meals are amazingly cheap.

In the Central Market.

Delicious Game for lunch.

Shot by TotalAdventure’s Blaine Zuver and Martin Zuver.

A an overnight first class sleeper train ride from Budapest had us arriving fresh and rested on the first morning of summer, June 21.

The”Dacia” Boarding in Budapesti Keleti.

Brasov – Romania’s Hollywood ? Brasov is the center of Transylvania.

Dracula’s Castle, known as Castle Bran, is about 25 km from Brasov. Building began in the 1200s and was added on to over the centuries.

A hidden stairway deep in the interior.

The modern day ( 1883 ) Peles Castle, in Sinaia. was built by King Carol.  It was built with electricity,telephones,telegraph and other modern conveniences.

A comfortable drawing room in Peles.

The Carpathian Mountains are quite undeveloped. There are a few small ski areas, with a long powdery season, rafting,climbing and seeing rare animals that are extinct in Western Europe. For many years only Dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu was allowed to hunt.

While forcing his subjects to live in poverty and half-starvation,Ceaușescu lived in the grand style of a Communist Emperor .An entire section of Bucharest ( not just a neighborhood, but comparable to the Upper West Side of Manhattan or Soho in London  ) in order to build the People’s Palace – the world’s second largest building in terms of square footage , just after the Pentagon. It took 18 years to complete – from 1978 to 1996 – 7 years after the execution of he and his vile wife Elena.

A chandelier weighing 5 Metric Tons  – one of over 100 in the building – constructed at a time the populace was relegated to one 40 watt lightbulb per apartment.

The Dictator. – “Genius of The Carpathians” was one of his many self-bestowed titles.

One of many grand staircases. Many had to be rebuilt several times in order to make him seem taller than his  short stature.

The view from one of the balconies from which Ceaucescu would never make a speech.

One in three adults were rumored to work for the Secret Police – the Securitate.

In a nautical mode.

In Nicolae and Elena’s villa – solid gold water faucets. Commoners were rationed to half an hour of hot water every other Sunday.

Modern radio – circa 1988.

On the morning of June 24 TotalAdventure flew from Bucharest to Belgrade,Serbia and then took a 6 hour van ride to Sarajevo,Bosnia. The alternative would have been a 2 day train journey. Rail lines in former Yugoslavia are still heavily damaged from Allied bombing during the 1990s wars and are only now starting to be rebuilt.

The Balkans in Bosnia are quite beautiful,belying the centuries of warfare that have been taking place there.

20 Years later and damage is still evident throughout Sarajevo, a four year siege of bullets and shells.

Air Serbia to Belgrade.

A Shrine In Western Serbia.

Along the river in Sarajevo.

Above Sarajevo.

Hundreds of thousands were killed over a four year period.

All the stones in this area of the graveyard have the same departure date. Graves are everywhere, including in city parks.

In Ramadan there is a sixth prayer call of the day – after Iftar – when the daily fast is broken.

Iftar Tea.

Iftar Approaches.

Iftar Meal – Lamb Sausage.

Mostar ( Bridge) in Mostar. It was blown in half during the war and rebuilt a few years ago. See the video to watch men dive from it.

Bombed Buildings In Mostar.

Shrine To Slobodan Milošević in a Republika Srpska bus station. Republika  Srpska consists of t Serbian controlled areas of Bosnia. For now, a tense peace exists.

Destruction Everywhere.

Kosovo is Serbian !

A Peaceful Summer Day in Mostar. The temperature was about 38 C ( 101 F).

On July 2 at 7 AM we left our host’s house in Bodrum to board a catamaran ferry to the Greek island of Kos, only 20 km across the channel. We looked back at  beautiful vibrant  Turkey, hoping  to return in the near future – to explore from Istanbul to the eastern provinces.

We arrived in port 20 minutes later. We spent nearly 40 minutes to get passports stamped, as we were re-entering the EU and Shengen. Afterwards a 50 km taxi ride to Kefalos .

In Kefalos , we found a beachside Taverna where we ate excellent grilled squid, stored our stuff and went snorkeling.

The water was as clear as an aquarium.

There were ruins right by the sea !

Soon it was time to leave for the airport. We took a turboprop to Athens, flying over hundreds of Aegean Islands. In Athens – once again passport control , as we were leaving Schengen. 4 hours later – another 1.5 hours in customs entering the UK.

Just before midnight we arrived at our hotel, after a long Tube ride. We were right by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

Our final day before returning Stateside was a whirlwind tour of some of the major sights.

Iconic, but we opted for Indian instead.

GMT + 1. The Trans European Adventure comes to an end.          

The flight from Miami to Havana is only 45 minutes, but it’s a trip back in time. To 1959.

TotalAdventure flew on the newly relaunched Eastern Airlines – actually a charter by Havana Air. Real commercial fights will start later this year.

Arrival at  Aeropuerto José  Martí.

TotalAdventure was in Cuba in order to research how to set up eco-friendly and cultural trips to be led by local individuals. TotalAdventure operates just like AirBnb – with adventures instead of apartments. Our challenge is finding reputable guides offering unique experiences. One of the biggest difficulties is limited internet access – Wi-Fi is very expensive for the average person and it is generally not available in private homes.

The view from TotalAdventure’s $ 47 a night AirBnb apartment.

As the economy slowly transitions, Total Adventure does it’s best to patronize and work with individuals and families. Instead of a hotel, a local apartment or house. And always a private car and driver – whether a city taxi ride, a long trip from Havana to Trinidad and back , or a day tour in the Trinidad region.

Taxi from the airport to apartment – 1953 Chevy !

The neighborhood in Habana Vieja.

Cuba is the world’s largest renovation project !

All the Cuba posts were uploaded on the sameday, after return to Miami, due to limited access in Cuba. The final post is “Cuba Road Trip 2016”  – a real life video !

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.

Military display near El Morro.

Che is everywhere.

Hemingway is everywhere.

Like Miami beach – Art Deco.

Controls for the Hershey Train.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba. There is a twin building in Palm Beach – the Biltmore.

1962.

1962.

Saturday Morning March.

Time standing still.

Nightlife – at an old Hemingway favorite.

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.

On the way back from Trinidad, TotalAdventure stopped in Cienfuegos for a couple of hours. Cienfuegos is an industrial port, with a center that is like a Spanish themed American town of the 1950s.

A cafecito is one CUP Peso – about 4 cents.

Cienfuegos is the home of the famed musician Benny More.

The Young Communist League.

TotalAdventure was asked not to come inside.

Perhaps this sign will be taken down soon ?

In the Cathedral.

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.

After a great day of spring skiing on El Colorado in Chile, TotalAdventure boarded a flight from Santiago to Aeroparque – the smaller airport in Palermo.

After a quick stop at the hotel – TotalAdventure was off to a a Midnight feast at Las Nazarenas. The Bife de Chorizo was succulent , as always ! At 15 pesos to the dollar ( Blue Market ) dining is a bargain !

The next day was Columbus Day – Dia de Las Raza in Argentina – so the streets were relatively quiet, with families enjoying the cool early spring weather.

It was only a month before the quasi – Chavista government of Christina Kirchner would be defeated in a historic election.

For TotalAdventure experiences in Argentina- CLICK HERE !

2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.

The best way to explore Japan is on the 200 mph , 320 kph High Speed Shinkansen network on Japan Rail. The Japan Rail Pass allows 7 days of unlimited travel for $ 279 – only non-resident foreigners are eligible. Distances in Japan are great – but seem close on these trains that seem to fly along the ground.

In Kyoto, the highest pagoda in Japan.

A Shinto Shrine.

Kyoto has delicious cuisine. Here is some venison sashimi.

Locusts.

And Bee Larvae

For Adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE