Munich, Germany - July 2026

 We arrived in Munich by mid-afternoon and took UBER to our hotel near city center.  Our hotel, the Ibis Muenchen City,  featured a central location with convenient access to public transit and major local attractions. It was also just a short walk from the Munich Central Train Station, where we would catch our train to Regensburg at the end of our stay. 

This is our first time truly visiting Munich, outside of passing through the airport. With two full days to explore this incredible city, we were eager to set out on our adventure the moment we settled in.

Passing by the grand Palace of Justice on our walk to city center. 

                                                        

Fountain at the gate tower marking the entrance to Munich's Old Town.

Gate tower. Entrance to Kreuzviertel, one of the four quarters that make up the beautifully preserved district of the historic Old Town.

Citizen's Hall Church (Burgersaalkirche) in Kreuzviertel.

St. Michael Church.

Inside St. Michael Church.

Frauenkirche - Cathedral of Our Lady, located in the heart of Kreuzviertel district.

The legendary Devil's Footstep lies in this iconic Cathedral of Our Lady.

Inside the Cathedral of Our Lady.

A grand New Town Hall dominating the north side of Munich's historic Marienplatz.

The historic mechanical clock, Rathaus-Glockenspiel at the New Town Hall puts on spectacular daily show at Munich's Marienplatz.

The Mariensaule, a Marian Column located at the center of Marienplatz, stands directly across from the New Town Hall.

💚💜💛

After familiarizing ourselves with Munich's historic old town, we set out to explore the nearby surroundings the next day. The weather was quite pleasant, making our leisurely walk from the hotel even more enjoyable. On the way, we stopped at Munich Central Station to buy train tickets for our next destination, Regensburg.

Palace of Justice, facing the Old Botanical Gardens.

The Botanical Gardens entrance.

The garden still looks nice, even with the summer heat and drought🌻🌿!

Neptune Fountain in the Old Botanical Gardens, 

The Angerviertel historic quarter in Munich's Old Town, with the grand stone tower of St. Peter's Church rising in the background.

Cafe Rischart, a well-known bakery near Munich's old open-air food market.

A seafood restaurant in the old food market.

After having a quick "Cheese Brat" lunch in the Old Town's open-air food market, we headed to the English Garden, a major urban park, to watch the famous Eisbach surfers. Yes - the surfers appear in the afternoon to ride the river's standing wave, surprising and intriguing sight waiting to be discovered.

Eisbach River flowing through the English Garden.

A look at the Eisbach surfers and the crowd gathered to watch 🏄!!

Eisbach surfers riding the wave while the spectators cheer them on 🌊!

A perfect escape from the heat: Eisbach waves and the fearless surfers!

*~It was a busy day, and we covered a large part of the city on foot. But we save the best for last: the Munich Hofbrauhaus, one of the world's most famous beer halls and a vibrant symbol of Bavarian culture. That's where we enjoyed our final dinner in Munich.

Hofbrauhaus entrance.

Colorful murals and classic Bavarian decor frame the lively crowd inside Hofbrauhaus. 

Hofbrauhaus, the Munich icon that stays busy from open to close.

Joining the crowd at Hofbrauhaus. Cheers 🍺!!

"Bretzl Lady" wandering the aisles with basket of fresh pretzels.

Cheers to a great time in Munich - from a cozy dinner.

 to the sweetest finish 💑!

*~Because the Hofbrauhaus sits in the southern quarter of Munich's Old Town, Graggenau, we ended up visiting all four of the city's famous historic districts. We truly enjoyed Munich and everything it had to offer. Maybe next time we'll come back for Oktoberfest.

 Munich's Graggenau district just moments before sunset.

                                                                            ~~👭💗🌇~~

Aquileia, Italy - July 2026

 Leaving Slovenia, we headed back toward Venice to return our rental car the next morning. We planned to spend the night at the Crowne PlazaVenice, the same hotel we stayed previously, to ensure a seamless trip to the airport the next day. Wanting to make the most of our drive, we looked for a scenic spot to break up the journey, enjoy a leisure lunch, and explore somewhere new. We found a perfect detour in Aquileia, an intriguing commune in  northeastern Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, right along our route. It turned out to be a spectacular choice, and we spent a few hours wandering through the impressive ruins of this ancient Roman City.  

Welcome to Aquileia.

The Archaeological Area of Aquileia, an open-air excavation site showcasing the ruins of six upscale private Roman homes.

Insidse an active excavation site- unearthing the past, one mosaic tile at a time!

Ancient house foundations containing the 4th century Good Shepherd mosaic tiles are still being uncovered.

A closer look at the stunning mosaic floor, an ancient masterpiece!

The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia overlooking the historic Piazza del Capitolo.

Standing independent from the church, the grand medieval bell tower built in 1031 using stone blocks from an ancient Roman amphitheater.

Theodorian Dedication Inscription on the church wall.

The famous Candia Mausoleum stands prominently along Aquileia's main street, Via Giulia Augusta.

Last but not least: the grand Roman columns, a fascinating work in process.

    

                                                                       🍁🌸🌹🌴🌿

Bidding farewell to our favorite Crowne Plaza Hotel once again! A quick drive to theVenice airport to drop off the rental car, and by mid-morning, we were ready to fly to Munich.

Relaxing at the lounge and enjoying some refreshments before our boarding call🥂.

                                            

 ✈✈✈   Munich, here we come... ! 

Ljubljana, Lake Bled, and Lake Bohinj, - Slovenia - July 2026.

 After saying goodbye to Mark and Gayle the following morning, we left Udine for Slovenia, and they set off for a few days in Venice.

Our last breakfast at Udine Hotel. We're going to miss our breakfast buddies!

Having already visited the Slovenian coastal towns of Koper, Piran, and Poronoz before the wedding, we headed toward Ljubljana, where we had a two-night hotel reservation near the city center.

C

Crossing the border.

**Ljubljana's City Center:  It was a pleasant afternoon when we took public transportation from our hotel to explore Ljubljana's historic city center-the capital's charming pedestrian district stretching along both banks of the Ljubljanica River.

Preseren Square, the center of Ljubljana Old City.

Franciscan Church of Annunciation at Preseren Square.

France Preseren Monument.


The orginal stone bridge at the heart of Ljubljana iconic triple bridge.

The stone bridge.

Triple Bridge, located right next to Preseren Monument.

The Central Market Building shimmering along the Ljubljana riverbank , designed by Slovenia's master architect, Jose Plecnik.

The iconic Art Nouveau Dragon Bridge.

Robba Fountain in Ljubljana Town Square with St. Nicholas Cathedral in the background.


Ljubljana Town Hall - located directly in the historic city center on Town Square.

Ljubljana Town Square with the castle on the hill in the background.


Saint Nicholas Cathedral.

Admiring the beautiful, intricate details and golden accents at Saint Nicholas Church.

                                                        

                                                                         🚣✨🌍

We spent a full day to explore Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj from Ljubljana. Lake Bled was about an hour's drive from our hotel, and Lake Bohinj was another 45 minute further. Although the traffic got busy at times, the drive to these alpine lakes was rather easy and the beautiful scenery was quite enjoyable. 

**Lake Bled: Known as Slovenia's most iconic destination, this emerald lake surrounds Bled Island, where historic landmarks are nestled beautifully against the backdrop of the Julian Alps.

An outdoor dinosaur-themed amusement park situated in a pine forest in a neighboring town of Lesce.

Post card views from the shores of Lake Bled. Behind us is the stately Grand Hotel Toplice. 

A leisure walk along the lake, with Bled Castle, on the clifftop in the background.

Bled Castle, a medieval fortress, overlooking Lake Bled.

A swan's view of the serene lake.

St. Martin's Church of Bled.

A traditional pletna boat carrying visitors across Lake Bled.

The storybook scenery that makes Lake Bled so famous.

The perfect resting spot along the lake.

**Lake Bohinj : Slovenia's largest natural lake, nestled directly inside the famous Triglav National Park. It is frequently chosen by travelers seeking a wilder, more rugged, and natural Alpine landscape. 

Arrving at Lake Bohinj's eastern shore.

The double -arch St. John's Bridge, located right at the eastern head of Lake Bohinj with the historic St. John the Baptist Church standing in the background.

St. John the Baptist Church.

Jezernica River- one of the Slovenia's shortest- as it flows beneath St. John's Bridge.


Lake Bohinj: Pure alpine enjoyment on a summer days!

The Julian Alps framing the serene waters of Lake Bohinj.⛰️🌊


Road Gate at Bled Castle, a famous stone archway tunnel built into the side of the fortress hill.🏰

On our way back to Ljubljana from Lake Bohinj, we ran into some traffic around Lake Bled. However, once we passed the Bled Castle Gate Tunnel, the traffic eased up and we made it back to our hotel uneventfully. It was a wonderful day visiting the two famous alpine lakes. Bled and Bohinj are definitely not to be missed while you are in Slovenia!.

                                                                 ~~~~~~ 💦💧💫~~~~