Destination Europe: A European Odyssey

Day 21: 24th June. Istanbul

2005-06-24T22:17:00.000+08:00

Our stay in Istanbul was simply too short for what we wanted to do: soak in the city in a week.
We'll be back there soon enough and will make sure we cover the rest of the country too.
I have been in Turkey for a total of 25 days in the past one year, but the rest of the team shares my sentiments: It's so lovely, we'll just have to come back for more!

Great food, great people, and fabulous history and sights.

And, our last view of this great city, once the capital of four different empires in countless different eras.

The end of our trip had drawn to a conclusive but meaningful conclusion. We have traversed the continent of Europe overland from Belgium to the European tip of the Bosphorus in Istanbul.

Look out for our exhibition coming up in July 2005 at the National Museum, Singapore. Our opening is on the 8th of July, 2005; and the guest-of-honour is the Ambassador of Hungary to Singapore, His Excellency Dr Gyorgy Nanovfszky.

Our upcoming trip next year will cover the south- north axis of the European continent. Hopefully, we'll have more fun, more time, and more photos!

Day 20: 23rd June. Istanbul

2005-06-23T21:55:00.000+08:00

We arrived finally in Istanbul and make our way to the heart of the old town centre, Sultanahmet, where the famous blue mosque awaited us just a hundred metres from our hotel. We checked into one of the most charming little hotels in Istanbul, and quite possibly Europe.

One of my favourite portraits during this trip, this man sells walnuts and apricots along the corner of one street in the Spice Bazaar. He proffered a piece of apricot when shown a display of his portrait on my LCD.

People in Istanbul are extremely friendly and always manage to find a way to win their way into your heart and smiles.

This is the library in our luxuriously suited up hotel. Often used by diplomats and ambassadors during their private stays, this is as special as it gets here in Istanbul.

Pigeons taking flight in Beyazit Square frame these two boys as they stroll across the plaza.

This is one of the main means of public transport in Istanbul, a city divided by two bodies of water; the Golden Horn separating old and new towns, and the Bosphorus separating European and Asian sides of the city.

This boy kindly offered to be my model for this great shot, sparing myself the need to use myself *shudder* as one.

Day 19: 22nd June. Bucharest.

2005-06-22T21:40:00.000+08:00

Our train was supposed to arrive at 9am in the morning but we managed somehow to be in the right train at the right time - there was a delay of 4 hours because our track was one of those that the rail strikes for today had affected. This more or less crippled the countryside simply for some union to flex their collective muscle. Whatever the case, we proceeded on and arrived at Bucharest Gare du Nord at 1pm, hungry and not too tired, having had more sleep and rest than was usual for us the past 3 weeks.

Bucharest is one of those cities in flux - making that leap from crazy to trendy; and now is the time to jump in for the ride!
You never quite know what you're going to get.
Radu of Tiriac brought us out for dinner that evening and showed us the side of Bucharest that few people see; that extremely urbane, civilised, and even comfortable side.
Part of us wanted to run out and hit the streets and get a little bit rough, but we truly did enjoy the fine food and fine company. The Romanians are excellent cooks, and great hosts. You'd never be let down by that.

Our arrival by the Gare du Nord was easily navigated as I was here just six months ago.

This is the frescoed ceiling of the Stavropoleos Church, and it is quite a refreshing change from all the sculptures in the Western churches. Some of us were actually having too much of Churches and Museums. "Enough Already!"

This lady sold original furs from animals of all sorts, from foxes to witches to mooses.

Day 18: 21st June. Szentendre. Transit into Romania

2005-06-21T21:08:00.000+08:00

Our Journey took us today from the little town of Szentendre (St. Andrew) and then by train into the Gare du Nord at Bucharest.
It promised to be a long and eventful journey, and it was.

First Szentendre: This little town north of the Danube from Budapest promised to be one of those little hidden jewels set along the Danube awaiting our discovery. Indeed, right after our exploration of the nearby Open Air Museum, our hunches were proven right.
There, we found entire cottages, churches, monateries, peasant farms, even windmills, which had been properly disassembled from their originla locations and then carefully carried here and painstakingly restored to their natural selves.
What would have taken a week or more for us to explore turned out to be a delightful half-day trip through this little wonder of a museum.

These neighbours along the street said their afternoon greetings and updated each other on their day.

This restaurant at the open air museum in Szentendre was once an outdoor tavern, meant for travellers weary from their journeys and stopping for a respite of hearty Hungarian food and wines.

This donkey peeked out at me with pure curiosity and never gave up trying to figure out the little machine whirring and clicking in its face. He must have thought there was a bee buzzing in my face.

We paid a final visit to the St. Stephen's Basilica just before we left, as we were unable to enter 2 days before due to the huge number of wedding ceremonies on a saturday.

Day 17: 20th June. Hortobagy, Hungary.

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Today, we set out for Hortobagy, another wine growing region, but there is also an open-air historical and cultural museum here.

This portrait was taken in silhouette because the sun behind suddenly burst through the clouds.

This horse was doing its rounds of daily exercise which was interrupted by our entire group rushing right into his training patch. I used my 17-55 at the wide end and went right up to him. Startled slightly by my initial boldness, he reared and I fired away, 8 frames per second and got one frame exactly as I wanted. After this, he was far more comfortable with us and didn't rear up again.

Day 16: 19th June. Tokaj, Hungary.

2005-06-19T00:42:00.000+08:00

Today, we set out east from the Danube to discover the "Wine of Kings, and the King of Wines", as the French King Louis XIV aptly named, the Tokaj Aszu wines.
These wines are made from berries that acquire a "noble rot" which occurs only in a fungus that exists only in this region. The wine region Tokaj itself has been a UNESCO listed World Heritage site since 2002, and the largest estate, the Tokaj Hetszolo, was the one we went to for our special tour and wine tasting.

There is nothing to match a Tokaj Aszu for its sweetness and pure flavour. Whereas ice wines have sugar added, the Tokaj Aszu have their sugar content purely from the Aszu berries which are affected by the fungal fermentation. This, together with an extremely difficult yield, results in these wines costing a huge amount per bottle, and are appreciated by wine connoisseurs the world over.

We stopped by the little town of Eger on our way to Tokaj.

At the Tokaj-Hetszolo Vineyards.

Rows upon rows of maturing vines, and tiny little berries of grapes emerging. The harvesting season is extremely late, in October.

And this is where we try all the wines! Fabulous ambience! In these natural caverns, the wines are left to mature symbiotically with a fungus that grows naturally in these caves only, and the fungus maintains a constant 9 deg Celsius temperature in these caves using the alcohol evaporating from the maturing wines. Natural "air-conditioning"!

Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and intoxication, equated with the Greek Dionysus, celebrates the Tokaj Aszu at the entrance of our Wine Cellar.

Day 15: 18th June. Budapest, Hungary.

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The "Jewel of the Danube", "Queen of the Danube", and the other nicknames for this truly dynamic city, are fitting ones for such a vibrant and exciting place Budapest has evolved into.
Steeped with history, romance, culture, the arts, and certainly, nightlife, Budapest is not a city to miss. It's one of our favourite cities and certainly the one we most want to return to.

There is simply so much to see and do along the Danube here, there is barely time enough to cover it all!
The Parliament, one of the biggest in the world with over 700 rooms; the Buda Castle perched atop Buda hill, Gellert Hill just adjacent to it; St. Stephen's Basilica rising high above the rest of the city skyline. All these sights are visible from both Buda and Gellert hills, and certainly most enjoyable from a high vantage point. Our panorama of the city skyline will be available at our exhibition.

The grand entrance and dome of the Parliament House of Hungary is just amazing. This is one of the finest of architecture for a political structure.

This evening, there was a fireworks along the Danube for the occasion of a new Guinness World record. Over 3000 couples kissing on the Szechenyi bridge at the same time.

This young lady was dressed in traditional Hungarian folk costume for her cousin's wedding. She was posing for all five of us, who went happily snapping away and (she) almost reluctantly gave up her newly found stardom.

Day 14: 17th June. Lake Balaton (Tihany), Hungary.

2005-06-17T00:09:00.000+08:00

We spend the better part of the day at the largest freshwater lake in continental Europe, and certainly the most beautiful.
There is no end to the beautiful sights on this lake.

We awake early in the morning (4am) to capture the sunrise. EarthConnexions have clearly made exactly the plans we wanted. We stayed at the hotel right on the water's edge facing east. Our hotel used to be one of the Politburo's summer getaway home in Hungary.

Lake Balaton boasts warm summer waters, crystal clear green, and sunny blue skies all summer long.
There are no substitutes but a dip in its waters together with the geese and ducks that patrol its shores!

Cherries are a Hungarian specialty; red, ripe and really delectable!

A Lake Balaton sunrise is quite impossible to match. This swan decided to have a dip just to admire the sunrise, as we did.

This photo shows what happens after photographers get their standard sunrise shots: they try a few more!

We arrived in Budapest just in time for a good dinner and some pictures at Fisherman's Bastion, by the Danube.

Day 13: 16th June. Vienna. Bratislava

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We covered the Austrian capital today. On foot.

Streets that are a delight to walk, see, and feel. Cafes to last a lifetime.
Coffees and cakes and sweets to fill any hungry traveller.
People-watching to fill up a whole year.
This, is Vienna, and more!

The entrance of the Hofburg Complex, home of the Habsburg Royal family for over six centuries.

The Baroque Karlskirche (or St. Charles Church).

These little ones were tied up to a temporary picket outside the supermarket awaiting their owner's return, and barked furiously at all who approached. Despite their apparent ferocity, just about everyone stopped to pat their little heads.

We stopped in Bratislava for lunch, and I couldn't resist taking this shot of two global icons: Coca Cola, and Lonely Planet - The universal travellers' best friends!

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia sits at the bend of the Danube just as it turns around into Hungary, and is one of the four cities along the Danube that we cover in a mere 2 days.

Day 12: 15th June. Salzburg. Vienna.

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A UNESCO World Heritage site, Salzburg's old town centre is world famous for it's most prodigious son - Mozart - and the location for the filming of much of "the Sound of Music". As you enter the city from the hills on either side of the Danube, you'll want to start yodelling "the hills are alllllllliiiiivvvvvveeee........."
The charm of this city is in its buildings, and its colours. Sitting at the base of the Austrian Alps, which lie just to its west, Salzburg is the perfect honeymoon city.

Chess players at the plaza in Old Town pit their skills against each other as tourists and Salzburgens alike slow and watch them. Time seems much slower here in Salzburg, and much finer to enjoy.

The Schloss Mirabell and its gardens are a must see. Having featured in the Sound of Music, it is now a favourite location for wedding parties.

From the gardens of the Schloss Mirabell, the rest of Salzburg and its Baroque church towers and Fortress at the top of the hill, are clearly visible, and on a clear day, truly amazing.

This artist at Residenplatz makes a great protrait for this delighted girl to keep, a worthy souvenir from Salzburg.

We arrived at Vienna just in time for dinner.

Day 11: 14th June. Karlstein Castle. Cesky Krumlov.

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Karlstein Castle resembles a fairy-tale castle from out of a Shakespearean story or Disneyland inspiration, but truly, it is a jewel perched above the Berounka River. Built by Emperor Charles IV in the mid-14th century, it takes a hard 30 minute walk up the steep hill to get to the top.

Dinner at Cesky Krumlov was an adventure in itself. There are so many little taverns and restaurants along its cobbled streets serving excellent food and that world-famous Czech Pilsner, that we couldn't really make up our minds. We finally settled for the place that seemed most packed. This was one of our salads. Yum!

The sunset was just as spectacular as the little town, and its food.

Cesky Krumlov must be one of the biggest secrets outside of Europe.
It ranks as one of the most picturesque little towns around and yet has fewer visitors than one would expect. It's original Gothic fortress was rebuilt as a huge Renaissance chateau by Italian Architects in the 16th century and is such a beautiful crown to cap this UNESCO World Heritage -listed town.

Day 10: 13th June. Prague.

2005-06-13T22:27:00.000+08:00

The Czech Capital, and the Golden City.
This is truly one of the highlights of our trip.
Copper green rooftops, some of the finest Baroque architecture, and the magnificent Prague Castle, the largest castle complex in the world by size, according to the Guinnes Book of Records, Prague has everything to offer just about everyone.
From quaint little streets, to walks down the Vltava river, to Baroque Churches, to large castles set on hilltops, to magnificent bridges, to fine dining, to night pub-crawling. It's hard to run out of things to do in this beautiful city.
Spare a couple of days here if you can!

Old Town Square is ever bustling with activity, be it tourists making their rounds, or touts touting their wares. Even the police and the canine patrol hang out here.

The magnificent hand-painted frescoed ceilings of the Strahov Monastery are a gorgeous sight to behold.

St. John Nepomuk's statue on Karlov Most (Charles' Bridge) across the Vltava gathers the most visitors, each making a wish by grabbing on to both symbols at the base of his statue. These parts have been polished a shiny silver by the thousands of hands, each hoping to make their personal wishes granted by this saint who protects the faithful against calumnies.

The Church of St. Nicholas in Mala Strana (the Little Quarter) rises above the towers at one end of Charles' Bridge. Dusk brings a new colour to the entire city.

Day 9: 12th June. Dresden. Melnik. Prague.

2005-06-12T22:17:00.000+08:00

We travelled today from Berlin to Dresden for a lunchtime shoot.
This "Florence on the Elbe" is aptly named. Many of Dresden's lovely Baroque buildings have been restored to their former glory, despite the Allied "carpet bombing" of this city during the Second World War.
You can't keep a great city down for long.

The countryside in the Czech Republic beckoned at every corner, to be captured in lovely landscape shots as these.
Wild poppies dot the green fields and the Bohemian landscape in the northwest.

The sun sets over a misty field of vineyards in Melnik. This little town just north of Prague certainly deserves a day or two all to itself.

This amazing landscape was captured just as the dusk swept away the final bits of the sunlight for the night.

Day 8: 11th June. Berlin.

2005-06-11T22:01:00.000+08:00

Today, we made haste to Berlin, the German capital of a unified Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Berliners are an interesting lot. Friendly, outgoing, very hip, and extremely fashionable.

The German capital has no shortage of happenings. All day long, and even all night long, one can find something to fill all of one's senses!

The Reichstag Dome must be one of the most photographed locations in Berlin since its inception in 1999. The new design added to the Parliament building was designed by Sir Norman Foster.

Segments of the Berlin wall still remain, officially decorated by graffiti artists after the unification, and are a daily reminder of the recent division this city once experienced.

James is accosted by this group of buskers who use Mr Orange to entertain tourists queuing for a lift up the Reichstag Dome.

There was a panorama of a large image, including the history of, the Brandenburg Tor (or Brandenburg Gate), once the symbol of German Division during the Cold War. I purposefully found the right spot and made this image. The actual Brandenburg gate "sits atop" the large banner just in front of me.

Day 7: 10th June. Copenhagen.

2005-06-10T21:51:00.000+08:00

We spent the better part of this day in the picturesque capital of Denmark.

The Kastellet from one of its drawbridges across the moat.

The Little Mermaid, one of the most identifiable symbols of the Danish capital, was the creation of Denmark (and Copenhagen's) most famous sons, Hans Christian Andersen. Every tourist here has had their photo shot with this lady of the seas.

And then we saved the best for last today: Helsingor. The castle here was once the landmark all sailors returning home would lookt our for. Elsinore, the old name, would be heralded as the arrival to their homelands. Across the channel lay Malmo, the Swedish town that has recently been flourishing extremely well since the new bridge linking Helsingor and Malmo was established.

Day 6: 9th June 2005. Onwards to Copenhagen.

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On this day, we travelled more than 750km to reach our destination for the evening, stopping frequently to catch the beautiful scenery in the Danish countryside.

Lolland was particularly beautiful: if you can spend the time, do use it well the next time you visit Denmark. Visit the countryside and spend a week there.

We took the barge across the 20km to Denmark via the northern port of Germany, Puttgarden.

The journey was merely an hour and we reached the Danish shores just at about 5pm, ready for a white night: The sun doesn't really set in summer here. You still get faint traces of the sun's rays all thoughout the night.

Then we got a beautiful sunset.

It was unimaginably breathtaking. The grass was a beautiful green and the sun burst through the clouds above. This scene held for about 2 hours. The sun barely moved in the horizon. We never get this kind of sunset any further south than here, and the scene was simply spectacular.

And then, just before we arrived at Copenhagen, we came across this incredible location. We shall not reveal it as this is a sanctuary for some extremely rare birds as well. Please enquire with us privately if you wish to know more.

This was quite possibly THE most spectacular scene we had come across by far.
Photos cannot possibly do justice to what lay before our eyes, unlike what is usually the case for most places.
The sun was setting in the right of this shot. The clouds were hanging low and drifting slowly. The horizon was indistinct as there hung a blue mist somewhere in the far distance which somehow clung on to both the sea and the sky at the same time.
The gradient of colours was amazing. From emerald green, to turqoise, to pale blue, to pink, to orange to dark blue. All the hues of colours which make for a dream sunset.

We arrived in Copenhagen at nearly midnight, and settled in for a good night's rest.

Day 5: 8th June 2005 - Amsterdam, Hoge Veluwe, and Arnhem. And a Private lodge.

2005-06-09T05:25:00.000+08:00

Today, we went about Amsterdam on foot again. It was teeming with people, noisy, and messy, and yet interesting at the same time. That is the charm of Amsterdam: you never quite know what you're going to get.
The Red Light District never sleeps.

When you are in Amsterdam, look out for this chain of small deli called FEBO. They sell great snacks and fries and chicken wings: for just over 1 Euro.

When you've seen enough of western Europe in the last one year, you'll know why I mention the price. McDonald's meals cost about 6-8 Euros each - that's SGD 12-18!
For us, we get by comfortably with most meals thus far.

Every little corner of Amsterdam looks like it came right out of a picture postcard.

The Netherlands is full of scenic countryside spots like this one. If only we were here in April! The entire countryside blooms with the tulip fields Holland is so famous for.

As these tourists stroll past the Royal Palace, the pigeons which make this square their daily afternoon haunt stride purposefully across, seeking their constant supply of snacks from passersby.

Hoge Veluwe National Park is a park paradise in the eastern part of the Netherlands.
Large green parts, a sand dune in the middle, and lots of scenic trees, deers to watch, even buffaloes, and rabbits.
We had a terrific time cycling (the bicycles were free for anyone who entered the park) the length of the park. It measures over 16km long and wide.
The best scene I had thus far (from a personal point of view) was right here.

Arnhem is a small town best remembered for its part in the Second World War. History buffs will fancy visiting this town and its memorial sites.
For us, it was a necessary stopover to get to our resting home for the night.
Vildtgaard: A 100 year old private lodge built from trees from the Norwegian forests.
It is THE exclusive location for any honeymoon couple. Our thanks to EarthConnexions for getting us this location!
It is quiet, it is very private, there is no noise pollution from either passing traffic or city noise, it is located right next to the Hoge Veluwe National Park, and we have an entire cottage all to ourselves! We even have our own garden, with a pond.

Trust me, bring your wife/girlfriend here for your next vacation! ;)

Day 4: 7th June 2005: Rotterdam, Delft, Den Haag, Schivenegen, Haarlem, and finally, Amsterdam

2005-06-09T01:29:00.000+08:00

Today, we covered the most number of cities we have had to cover in the past few days. It was rush, rush, rush!!

Rotterdam was damp and chilly, with overhanging clouds. The largest port in Europe, this city plays host to the largest shipping lines in Europe.

In Delft we visited the Nieuwe Kerk and the Oude Kerk. The Nieuwe Kerk was simply magnificent, with tower that stood at over a hundred metres, which James ascended.
There, he made a series of panoramic shots. We'll be sure to post them here when he's done with it.

Den Haag (or The Hague), is the political capital of The Netherlands. Its Parliament is situated in the middle of the city. Not far away lies the beach town of Scheveningen. Each year 9 million visitors flock to its shores for a dip in the waters of the North Sea.

From there, we went on to Haarlem for a dinner stop-over, and finally to the most eccentric city we've seen yet: Amsterdam.
The grand-mama of all eccentric cities, this city never sleeps. Or at least, its inhabitants in the Oude Kerk area. Those of you who have been there will know exactly what I'm talking about. For the uninitiated, that area is the red-light district. You can't miss it, and neither would the millions of tourists who simply walk by to feast their eyes on scantily clad women sitting, posing, and preening themselves behind glass windows, in rooms completely lit by red lights. They all seemed more comical than lewd.

The streets of Amsterdam - I have only one word for them - Bah!
It is a complete bugbear to navigate its streets on a vehicle, as we did. Cyclists come from every direction, and roads inevitably are one-way, and some even lead to dead-ends!

Fortunately, the wonderful quirks, "coffee-shops" (they serve smart drugs), and fascinating red-light district, more than make up for its dysfunctional streets.

The parliament house in Den Haag.

These two men play chess on the sidewalk whilst James grabs a shot of the Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam in the background.

The Koninklijke Palace in Amsterdam is occasionally used by the Dutch Royal Family. Today, it stands as a landmark in the middle of the Amsterdam city centre, its open square the site for buskers and tourists.

Day 3: 6th June 2005; Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp

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Ghent is one of those charming little old towns that you simply can't miss if you're there for photo opportunities. Tourists are less plentiful than in most towns, and the medieval and gothic buildings are just terrific.

Bruges has its own old world charm. Laid back, not too touristy, you simply have to wind your way through its streets and feel the town for what it is: laid back and relaxed.

Antwerp was our stopover point and Grote Markt was our main stop point. Exhausted for the day, we retired early and didn't wait for the sunset. =(
The sun sets at about 11.30pm here.

The story of Anvers (or Antwerpen in Flemish) is told in this statue in the Antwerp town centre, right next to Grote Markt.

James stands dawrfed by the Cathedral entrance in Bruges.

A resident of Ghent, this jolly ol' fella was well acquainted with us by the end of our conversation.

This medieval castle in Ghent provided a spectacular panoramic view of the city. Within the castle, we explored the various rooms, and torture chambers... Rather eerie if I must say!

A chocolate shop in Bruges: Don't miss out on Belgian chocolates - they are fantastic and melt in your mouth, with an oooooooomph!

Cathedral in Ghent. Its towers loom tall over this small town, adding to its medieval charm.

Day 2: Brussels, Waterloo, Butte de Lion, Charleroi, Namur, Bruparck and the Atomium

2005-06-06T04:28:00.000+08:00

Today was far less eventful than we would have wanted. Everywhere were the grey clouds that few photographers enjoy when they are out shooting.

Waterloo was a magnificent sight from the top of the Butte de Lion. We will have the photos at our exhibition, so hang on to your horses for the moment. ;-)

Lulu charges towards me, just as I am composing the shot for the Butte de Lion in the background. (She did knock into me by the way.) The monument at Waterloo marks the end of the European wars of the 18th and early 19th century, commemorating the soldiers who died in those wars.

Colours at a market at Charleroi.

The well-manicured gardens all over Brussels make for the best escapes from the bustling city life in the capital of the EU.

This unusual tongue-in-cheek advertisement existed in a shop space that did not retail anything at all.

The Panorama of The Battle of Waterloo.

A mobile grilled meat shop at Charleroi.

Parc de' Petite sablon

Our driver Jozsef pondering the building we scrutinze with our cameras.

Day 1: 4th June 2005 - Brussels, Belgium

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Our 18 hour journey (or ordeal, depending on which way you see it) ended when we arrived in Brussels.

After a brief incident with James´s suitcase, we were rapidly restored to our usual selves. Brussels is a city with the old, the new, and the sometimes quirky.

The Parc du Cinquantenaire.

Florists in the central square at the Grand Place add to the colours of the teeming crowds.

On the plane over Pakistan, the sky glows alight with the orange rays of the sun.

The Grand Place, the centre of the Lower Town, in the evening (10pm) throngs with the summer season tourist crowds. Our tripods drew many curious eyes and snapshots from the passing crowds.

The Cathedrale Sts Michel et Gudule rises high on a promontory in central Brussels, a short walk from the Parc du Bruxelles.

James lines up the Parc du Cinquantenaire's Central Archway for a wide shot. The finest of Leopold II's grand projects, the Parc and Palais du Cinquantenaire were built for the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Belgium's independence in 1880.

Belgian waffles and crepes truly live up to their reputation; a welcome treat to any weary traveller on the streets of Brussels.

Destination Europe: A European Odyssey

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5 photographers.

6000 kilometres overland.

40 cities and towns.

12 countries.

20 days.

And the journey of a lifetime.

Join us on our journey through Europe from the Ardennes to the Bosphorus, in search of the inspiration that brought Europe to the heights of its glory and beyond. The historical and cultural treasures that Empires were built upon, and wars, started over. Follow us on this journey of discovery, as we traverse the width of the continent, and seek the treasures that lie within the paths less travelled.

Every day. 4th to 24th June. Our destination: Europe.

od·ys·sey
1. An extended adventurous voyage or trip.
2. An intellectual or spiritual quest: an odyssey of discovery.