Our Freedom Years

Financial independence, early retirement & slow travel

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    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
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      • Greece
      • Hungary
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      • Malta
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      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Serbia
      • Slovakia
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      • Turkey
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  • About Us
  • How Much To Budget For Two-Week Trip To Lviv, Ukraine
    Real Costs,  Ukraine

    How Much To Budget For Two-Week Trip To Lviv, Ukraine

    April 4, 2020 /

    When we arrived in Lviv, Ukraine, we were ready to indulge a little.

    read more
    Our Freedom Years 0 Comments

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Our Freedom Years

ourfreedomyears

Stephanie & Gillian
🌎 Traveled the world with our dogs
❤️ Now making a home in Ontario
⬇️ Watch our latest video
We arrived in Madeira in a state of nervous excite We arrived in Madeira in a state of nervous excitement that had nothing to do with our destination. After Gillian's million and one questions to the realtor about our dream home in a little village in Ontario -- and an in-person visit by Gillian’s parents -- we were finally ready to make an offer.  Given the time difference between countries, the back-and-forth of negotiations ended up stretching through the week. We kept waking up in the middle of the night to check our phones and see if the next counter-offer had come through. The charms of Madeira largely slipped by us during these nail-biting days.  The deal finally closed, and we were ready to take stock of our surroundings. Madeira is a beautiful sub-tropical island that really comes alive during the December holiday season. The old town of Funchal already has a wonderful combination of 18th-century architecture and palm trees, with mountains in the background. When it gets festooned with lights during the holiday season, the whole effect is magical.  We couldn’t have been in a better location to enjoy the season; our Airbnb was just steps away from the Christmas market. While the markets of mainland Europe are much larger, this one came with earnest performances by local choirs and dance troupes, all in traditional outfits. It was a beautiful way to close out an incredible but intense chapter of our lives. We were saying goodbye to nomadic living after four years on the road. We’d packed in a lot of once-in-a-lifetime experiences during those years, but it was no small amount of work to make our way from country to country, two dogs in tow. Our home closed in early January, and we spent the rest of the month frantically shopping for furniture and everything else we’d need to fill a house that we suddenly owned. While travel continues to be an important part of our lives -- in fact, I’m writing this from a remote beach in Thailand -- it’s a relief to know that we now have a place that we can always come home to.
Lisbon is a lovely city; we were charmed by the ti Lisbon is a lovely city; we were charmed by the tilework on the buildings, the narrow streets, the vintage streetcars.  We did an early morning self-guided Rick Steves audio tour of the main sights; sampled classic Portuguese dishes in our little corner of Alfama; checked out some of the many scenic lookouts around town; and made our way to the artsy LX Factory warehouse district.
The final country in our four-year, slow travel ad The final country in our four-year, slow travel adventure around the world was Portugal. This is a destination that has soared in popularity with tourists and expats over the past decade. In fact, we’d had many discussions about making a base there since we’d met so many others on a residency or even citizenship track. Could Lisbon, Porto, or one of the smaller towns be a place we could call home? We gave it serious consideration during our visit. We started with a very rainy week in Porto to catch up with friends. Certainly it’s an intriguing city - we loved our afternoons wandering the maze of streets and sampling port at a tasting house - but I would save future visits for a drier season.  Then we spent five weeks in Lisbon. This is another lovely city; we were charmed by the tilework on the buildings, the narrow streets, the vintage streetcars. However, less appealing were the mammoth cruise ships that pulled into port each day, disgorging thousands of passengers into Lisbon’s relatively small historic centre.  We very much felt that we were living inside a tourist attraction and often wondered how the city’s residents coped with the daily influx. And this was the off-season; we couldn’t even imagine how busy Lisbon must be during the peak summer months.  We still managed to have an enjoyable time in Lisbon. We did an early morning self-guided Rick Steves audio tour of the main sights; sampled classic Portuguese dishes in our little corner of Alfama; checked out some of the many scenic lookouts around town; and made our way to the artsy LX Factory warehouse district. Lisbon is a beautiful city with an interesting history -- but it wasn’t going to be a home for us. Fortunately, just as our visit ended, my online research uncovered a perfect gem of a house in the last place I expected to find it: a tiny village in our home province of Ontario. The only challenge was that we were already off and running to our final destination in Portugal, the far-flung island of Madeira.
Brasov in Romania is a lovely little city that qui Brasov in Romania is a lovely little city that quickly became one of our favourites. Here was a slice of Europe that had everything we needed -- charming old town, affordable dining out, great hiking, a stunning mountain backdrop -- yet without the summer crowds that made other European destinations so challenging.
We’d spent the summer dodging the crowds in cent We’d spent the summer dodging the crowds in central Europe’s most popular destinations -- Prague, Vienna, Budapest -- and were ready for a less touristy experience. Nothing takes the magic out of travel like elbowing your way to the best view from the Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest.  Fortunately, the two months we spent in Romania taught us that there are still lesser-known gems waiting to be found in Europe.  We started with a truly rustic adventure: village-to-village hiking along the newly inaugurated Via Transilvanica trail. We hiked all day and stayed in traditional farmhouses at night, usually hosted by a kindly villager who didn’t speak even a little bit of English. The meals were simple and hearty (raw onions for breakfast, anyone?), and the homemade wine was always plentiful.  We capped that experience with a month-long stay in Brasov, a city that quickly became one of our favourites. Here was a slice of Europe that had everything we needed -- charming old town, affordable dining out, decent Airbnb, a stunning mountain backdrop -- yet without the crowds that had made the more popular European destinations so challenging.  Sure, it’s a fairly small city. We were able to tick off the major attractions in just a couple days: the Council Square; the Gothic-style Black Church; Catherine’s Gate with its wonderful turrets; and the two towers with views over the city.  However, it was using Brasov as a base for exploring the region that worked really well for us. We went to Peleș Castle, the former summer residence of Romania’s very first King. We took a cable car to the top of the Poiana Brasov mountain and hiked the 11k back to Brasov. Gillian headed to Seven-Ladders Canyon to tackle a ziplining course that sounded truly terrifying to me (an hour long and totally unsupervised). By the end of our time in Romania, our four-year, non-stop adventure was getting close to the end. There was just one more country that we simply had to see before starting our next chapter...
It might be overly crowded with tourists and bache It might be overly crowded with tourists and bachelor parties, but Budapest still has much to offer. We toasted the city's gorgeous architecture while on a cruise down the Danube; we tried the hot and even hotter pools at Gellert Thermal Bath, one of the city's famed bathhouses; we squeezed in with the other tourists to catch the views from the Fisherman's Bastion: and we sampled decadent cakes at Ruszwurm Confectionary, one of the oldest cafés in town.
When we decided to spend a summer touring central When we decided to spend a summer touring central Europe, we knew without question that Budapest would be one of our month-long stays.  In our minds, Budapest was a low-cost destination where we could get big value for our spend. Unfortunately, our research on this topic turned out to be about a decade out of date. 😂 Our clean and cute Airbnb smack in the middle of the tourist district was notable for two things: the breathtaking price and the general dirt and degradation of the apartment building it was located within.  We quickly discovered that our Airbnb was based well within the party district. We could barely walk from A to B without running into a stag party. The good times continued into the morning hours; Gillian would pass by the last of the revelers enjoying a morning beer on her way to the gym at 7am. Still, Budapest has much to offer. We toasted the city's gorgeous architecture while on a cruise down the Danube; we tried the hot and even hotter pools at Gellert Thermal Bath, one of the city's famed bathhouses; we squeezed in with the other tourists to catch the views from the Fisherman's Bastion: we sampled decadent cakes at Ruszwurm Confectionary, the oldest café in town.  We even peeked inside the stunning Central Market - worth a visit for the architecture only as it looks like only tourists shop here now. Our favourite excursion was escaping the crowds entirely with a visit to the green and peaceful Margaret Island. Overall, we found that Budapest suffers from the same tourist overwhelm as other European destinations, making for a less enjoyable experience. We couldn't step out of our front door without being overrun by yet another walking tour.  We were more than ready to get off the tourist trail by the month's end - something we were easily able to accomplish in the next destination. If you're looking to get off-the-beaten track but still be in Europe, this next country is our top recommend.
Bratislava is the type of city where tourists usua Bratislava is the type of city where tourists usually just stop by for a short visit. It’s got a compact old town; you can cover off the main sights in a single day; and — to make it even easier — it’s just a short train ride away from Vienna.  Instead of a day trip, we decided to set down for an entire month, and it was exactly what we needed after our whirlwind tour of the Czech Republic and Austria.
After speeding our way through central Europe, we After speeding our way through central Europe, we were ready for a break and a home base. As we had discovered after more than three and a half years of non-stop travel, the nomad lifestyle is only sustainable if you can step away from being a tourist every so often and get back to everyday routines. We had found the perfect spot for just that in the small, laid-back city of Bratislava in Slovakia.   Bratislava is the type of city where tourists usually just stop by for a short visit. It’s got a compact old town; you can cover off the main sights in a single day; and — to make it even easier — it’s just a short train ride away from Vienna.  Instead of a day trip, we decided to set down for an entire month and it was exactly what we needed after our whirlwind tour of the Czech Republic and Austria. We found a surprisingly stylish apartment that was just on the edge of the historic centre and a short walk away from the Danube.  The apartment was perfect -- almost. The owner decided to make a bold design choice and placed the shower inside the bedroom, very much in full view. We considered it a small mercy that the toilet was located way down the hall.  So began our love affair with Bratislava. Mornings were for exercise and leisurely breakfasts; afternoons for long walks along the riverside trails with the locals.  Dining out was affordable, and there were even a few vegetarian options available to break up the roast duck and red cabbage meals. And, if we were feeling ambitious, we could lazily tick off one or two of the main sights: the town square, Bratislava Castle, Michael’s Gate, the Blue Church, and all the quirky statues scattered around town. We were feeling relaxed and restored by the time our month in Bratislava was up. Good thing too, because our next destination was going to be a lot more demanding. We were heading to a city that is one of Europe's top destinations for…stag parties. 🤔
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