Picture of Europe
Caption: European Wanderings. May, 2015 London, Dubrovnik, Montenegro
Picture
Caption: My trip began when I flew back to my home in Chicago from a work trip on the redeye from LA. I had 12 hours to sleep, pack, and head back to the airport in order to fly to London to meet my friends Joe and Ryan for a week in Europe.
I like new places, and Joe and Ryan have a life-long contest to see who can visit more countries than the other. So Joe and I set our sights on Croatia and Montenegro.
Picture of Chicago
Caption: Chicago DEPARTURE
Picture of London
Caption: In London we ran all around town, seeing Bill Mahar do standup, eating and drinking at Soho's Electric House (Chicagoans will recognize the burger - it's the recipe from Au Cheval and tastes almost identical), and eating Pakistani food near Shoreditch.
Picture of Baker Street Station
Caption: FOR DAYS I COULD EXPLORE THE UNDERGROUND
Picture of Dubrovnik
Caption: Ryan, unaware that Joe and I are flying to Dubrovnik 12 hours after we arrived. See more about their competition at joeversusryan.com
Picture of Dubrovnik
Caption: Dubrovnik ON APPROACH
Picture of Dubrovnik
Caption: The walls of Dubrovnik date back to the 12th century, though the city itself is older than that. Walking around provides a wholly other experience - you might hit a dead end or a Bosnian restaurant or a local hanging up clothes to dry on a line. We stumbled on a hole in the outer wall that led to a simple bar overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Picture of Dubrovnik
Picture of Dubrovnik Cable Car
Picture of Dubrovnik Cable Car
Caption: A time lapse of the Dubrovnik cable car that runs from the base of the city to its peak, where there's a restaurant and bar. Go an hour before sunset, skip the restaurant and have a drink at the bar.
Picture of Dubrovnik
Caption: JUMP IN THE ADRIATIC WATER IS SO CLEAR ALONG THE COAST YOU JUST WANT TO
Picture of Dubrovnik Cable Car
Caption: Joe - fulfilling one of the criteria for the country competition (must flip off other in photo in-country) at the top of the cable car (a must-do in Dubrovnik - the cable car, not the bird).
Picture of Dubrovnik
Picture of Dubrovnik
Caption: I went with my best friend, but this is a city where you should bring your girl.
Picture of Dubrovnik
Picture of Montenegro
Caption: Montenegro VIA CAR
Picture of Kotor
Caption: Montenegro sounds like an resort or an island in the south of France or the Carribean, but it's a small country in the Balkans with a population around 600,000. It's serene and sleepy with friendly locals. We didn't go to the capital, instead we visited (another) ancient walled town called Kotor.
Picture of Kotor
Picture of Kotor
Caption: A great place to chill out, reflect, and just enjoy the views, there isn't a whole lot less going on.
Picture of Kotor
Picture of Montenegro
Caption: Joe and me at the Croatia/Montenegro border taking the obligatory photo to send to Ryan.
Picture of London
Caption: London HEADING BACK
Picture of London
Caption: London is huge. My best advice is to just pick a few things and do them, unless you're here for an extended period of time.
I decided I would focus on photography and art - hitting the Tate Modern, walking around Shoreditch looking at street art, and checking out various hotels and bars. I traveled via the Tube and wandered the stations in between places.
Picture of Tate Modern
Caption: THE TATE MODERN IS FREE
Picture of Tate Modern
Picture of Shoreditch
Caption: Shoreditch
Picture of Goodhood
Caption: Goodhood in Shoreditch is a fantastic men's/women's/home shop.
Picture of Shoreditch
Picture of One Hundred Shoreditch
Caption: One of the bars at the Ace Hotel Shoreditch. The Ace is the same as its NYC counterpart, with freelancers working during the day and a good drink scene at night.
Picture of One Hundred Shoreditch
Picture of Europe
Caption: Take the trip. Go explore.
Picture of Chicago
Caption: Chicago HOME
