Good morning everyone, what a busy January.  I was hopping around Eastern Europe for a week, then I was working on wedding planning, and then I was entertaining family for MLK Jr. Weekend.  This is the first of 3 blog posts about my Eastern European vacation.  The other 2 posts should come out in the next few days.  I am not a huge fan of writing (or reading) trip reports, nor am I an expert on geography, history, or politics, but I did link to Google Maps and Wikipedia to help provide you with more information.  With that said, let’s get started.  After flying Turkish Airlines business class from Chicago (ORD) to Istanbul (IST) to Chisinau, Moldova (KIV), I walk out of customs/immigration into a beautifully decorated airport.  It felt more like a shopping mall in mid December than an airport in January.  My friend flew in a few hours earlier and got us a rental car.  We then drove 20 minutes to our hotel.

Continue reading →

Good morning / evening from the SFO Centurion Lounge ORD Polaris Lounge IST Turkish Airlines Lounge!  Sorry I have been very busy the last few weeks and it looks like I will be busy for another week.  But this week, I will be hopping around Eastern Europe… in winter!  I’ll be visiting Bulgaria, Macedonia, Moldova & Romania over the next few days and I am looking for recommendations.  I will be spending 1-2 days in each country.  I’m not planning on doing a trip report or any hotel reviews (no fancy hotels booked on this trip).  So if you have any recommendations for must-see, must-do, or must-eat items, please share them in the comments below.

I have a few other posts in the queue, I just need to make time to sit down and write them.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Here are parts of my trip report:

• Trip Report: Visit Chisinau, Moldova & Transnistria (Breakaway State / Frozen Conflict Zone)
• Trip Report: 6 Hour Layover in Bucharest, Romania? Visit Palace of the Parliament (Second Largest Building in the World)