FEBRUARY 2026

Adventures With Carli

A monthly round of tips, travels, adventures and what's next

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Hello adventurers!

After 5 weeks of traveling, I'm finally back home in Seattle.

My trip was actually kind of a do over from one that had been planned for April of 2020. I was supposed to go to Birmingham to visit my friend Laura, then travel to Prague to meet up with my friend Brittany. After that, ending in Milan for Salone, a huge annual design show. But we all know what happened in spring of 2020, and with that my trip was cancelled.

This has been my longest trip, ever. I visited 6 countries, slept in 10 different beds, flew almost 12,000 miles, spent time with 3 friends and made new ones along the way.

But after moving so much I'm ready for some stability, my own bed, and being able to drive wherever I want, whenever I want.

One of the most extensive parts of my trip was spending 10 days in Milan for the Winter Olympics as a volunteer. I've got daily vlogs and a full account of what it's like to be an Olympic volunteer on my YouTube channel that you can check out.

Olympics Playlist

Where in the world is Carli San Diego?

In my last newsletter I was just wrapping up 10 days in England and was en route to mainland Europe. While there I visited new Eastern European countries, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Then returned to Italy for the first time in 20 years (far too long). Before wrapping up my trip with 5 days in Paris visiting my friend Brittany.

Part of my volunteer team at the Olympic Village

Highlights for Birmingham

The main reason I started my trip in England was to have a long overdue trip to see my friend Laura (who I've known since first grade) and her husband Anil. They live in Birmingham which is a very young (in terms of residents) city with a lot of redevelopment happening.

Canals: I had no idea Birmingham was a canal city. This area is incredibly lively, with restaurants, bars and some family friendly sites like Legoland and the Sea Life center.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery: I love a free museum! This museum focuses mostly on the city itself. There is a section showcasing the growth of the city and effects over different time periods. As well as a special exhibit to celebrate local rock legends Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne.

Premier League: While visiting, I was introduced to my first premier league soccer (football) game. I learned that unless you're in the VIP section (like we were) they do not serve alcohol at soccer games in England because the fans get too rowdy. Although my new favorite team, Aston Villa, lost, I still had a great time.

Highlights for Krakow

Krakow was my first time visiting an Eastern European country. Poland, and Krakow specifically, has a lot of history related to WWII that I think is especially important to remember these days. I learned that in spite of the Nazi occupation, they had very little damage during the war, so the old town is extremely well preserved.

It's a small enough city that you can walk most of the historic areas like the main square, castel and jewish quarter. But they have an extensive tram system if you need a break after a long day of exploring.

When you think of visiting Poland, or Europe in general, January/February isn't the first choice for most people, and there's a good reason for that. It's cold, or as my dad says "butt kickin' cold". I managed to visit in the middle of a cold spell where it was 15F (-10C) the first full day I was there. Before I arrived, and after I left it was back in the 30s. I can promise you that 20 degrees makes a big difference. On the plus side, there are significantly fewer tourists. But... maybe plan for Spring or Fall instead.

Be sure to get some pierogi while visiting!

Take a history tour or walking tour - One thing I like to do in a new city, especially as a solo traveler, is take a walking tour. This is a really great way to get to see a lot of the city highlights, and learning the condensed history.

Museums - If you do find yourself in the cold, a museum is a great place to warm up! Also, if you happen to visit on a Tuesday, many museums have free admission. I visited the Czartoryski Museum, which was founded by an extensive art collection from the Czartoryski family, and includes a DaVinci. The Rynek Underground Museum is also supposed to be very interesting, but I wasn't able to get there.

Jewish Quarter - I didn't have time for a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, but was able to spend some time walking through on my own. There are maps set up by the city that have different historic paths you can walk yourself. In the quarter there are WWII memorials and monuments. There is also the Schindler's Passage. This is a small alleyway that wasused in the filming of Schindler's list. However, now it shares history of the Ghetto before during and after the war.

Highlights for Bratislava

Thankfully for me, Bratislava was quite a bit warmer than Krakow. A few things the city does really well: offer free public wifi in the old town and provide free clean public bathrooms, with lots of signage on how to find them.

Even though I was solo in Slovakia, I had my own long distance tour guide. My uncle (married to my aunt) is from Bratislava, and they go back to visit family every summer. So I was able to get a list of recommendations from my aunt on things to check out and places to eat while there.

For local fare, try the Halusky. It's what I'm going to call Slovakia's version of mac & cheese.

Old Town Hall - You have a few options options for tickets. You can climb the tower, which I always recommend, to get the best 360 views of the old town. Or, you can do that and visit the history museum. I did both. The views from the tower are worth the climb, and I was surprised at how extensive the museum was. There was also a very interesting exhibit that focused on the history of a few select families in the city, from late 1800s through mid 1900s.

Bratislava Castle - Bratislava was once a very important location in the Austro Hungarian empire, serving at the coronation city for nearly 300 years. While the castle interiors were destroyed in a fire, it has been partially restored, with a museum inside. If you visit in spring or summer, you'll find lovely gardens in bloom on the grounds. The castle also has the best views over looking the river.

Primacial Palace - Here you can get a small glimpse into the grandeur of a late 18th century building. The interiors are highly ornate with giant chandeliers, detailed tapestries, large mirrors and gilded trim. Be sure to spend a few minutes checking out the courtyard as well.

Highlights for Budapest

Next, I a took a train (more on that below) to Budapest, where my friend Brittany flew in from Paris to meet me.

Budapest has been on my list for awhile, so I was excited to finally check it out. Historically, it was two cities: Buda to the west and Pest to the east. We stayed on the Pest side, which I think has more to offer for food, and shopping. But the Buda side has the castle and corresponding museums, so you should plan to visit both sides.

Also, if you're into vintage shopping like my friend Brittany (check out her vintage clothing instagram store here) you can find quite a few shops centered around the Jewish Quarter. One of them even had an incredible vintage Minnesota Twins jacket, but for $75 it wasn't going to happen.

Buda Card - We got the city card and got more than our money's worth out of it. The highlights for me were the river cruise (which included bubbly) that we took to kick off our trip. This gave us both history of the city and geographical context of where to go. The card also included our transportation for the two days, and access into different museums. The National Gallery was my favorite of the ones we visited.

Churches - Budapest has some beautiful churches. Unfortunately, most of them cost money to visit. The interior of St. Stephen's Basilica is worth viewing with the decorative domes, coffered archways and marble columns. You can also climb (or take the elevator) up to the dome for some great city views. Don't skip stopping by Fisherman's Basin which has instagrammable photo spots, but is also right outside of The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle. This has one of the most unique and beautiful roofs I've ever seen. If Missoni were to design a church roof, this would be it.

Thermal baths - Maybe it was growing up with a jacuzzi bathtub when I was little, but I love a hot tub, hot springs, and thermal spa. Budapest has a number of thermal baths throughout the city. While there we visited the Lukacs Baths and Széchenyi Thermal Bath. The Lukacs Baths were included with our Buda Card. It was ok, but small and kind of crowded inside. The Széchenyi Thermal Bath is the most famous of the local baths. Since we went at the end of day on a Monday, it wasn't crowded at all. Also it is probably 5x the size of the Lukacs Baths. There are at least a dozen pools, both inside and out, as well as the saunas and steam rooms. But since it's so large, make sure to give yourself at least 2 hours to enjoy and explore. NOTE: none of these offer rental towels, so you either have to bring your own, or buy one 😑

Highlights for Milan

Following Budapest I hopped on a short flight to Milan. Here I spent 10 days for the Olympics. Since I was on shift 7 out of 10 days, and had to pick up uniforms on day 1, there wasn't a lot of time for exploring. But I still manage to hit a few areas of the city on my off days and after shift.

Navigli - Turns out Venice isn't the only city with canals in Northern Italy. Milan used to have a fairly busy canal system used for trade once upon a time. Now however they are more decorative than anything. If you're lucky, you might spot the single gondolier and pay for a quick ride. Beyond that, the neighborhood is a bustling part of the city with restaurants lining both the canals and alleys in between. This is the place to be on a sunny afternoon in Milan to enjoy a happy hour drink.

Duomo & Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - I think it might be illegal to visit Milan and not see the Duomo. This massive cathedral sits in pretty much the exact center of the city. Even if you chose not to tour the interior, the exterior of the building is spectacular. Adjacent to the piazza in front of the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is essentially a high end shopping center, but also a can't miss piece of architecture. The space is a large cross with glass covered arcades that join at a giant central glass dome.

Team USA Hockey - Now this isn't something that is repeatable, but it was pretty special for me. Due to cost, and time, I was only able to go one event while at the Olympics. This just so happened to be the preliminary game between the US and Canada women's hockey (the better) teams. Unfortunately for me (and the Canadians in attendance) this game wasn't nearly as close or exciting as the gold medal game. Instead, Team USA blew out Canada 5-0. I still have 'Freebird' in my head.

Highlights for Paris

Last up on my Euro tour was Paris. This is a city I've visited multiple times before, and to be honest, isn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, and romantic, but it's not a city a feel particularly connected to. That said, my friend Brittany lives there, so it gave me a chance to spend more time with her.

Dior Gallery - Paris is well known as a fashion city, with Dior as one of the most famous fashion houses. The Dior Gallery provides a history the Christian Dior brand from conception in the 40s through today. Currently there is a specially curated exhibit from the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation running through mid May.

Musee d'Orsay - The Louvre is the most famous museum in France (and maybe the world?), but I love the Musee d'Orsay. It is just a short walk from the Louvre, across the Seine. The art in the Louvre spans thousands of years, where as the d'Orsay is much more concentrated. The art in the Musee d'Orsay starts right where the Louvre ends, around 1850 with the realism period, impressionists and post impressionists. The collection ends around 1914 at the start of WWI. The museum was also set up inside a historic train station, so the building is art as much as the installations. If you plan to visit, buy your tickets online ahead of time. Do not risk missing out by trying to get tickets at the door. They are busy every day they are open, and will sell out.

Eiffel Tower - Call me basic, but I love the nightly light show at the Eiffel Tower. If you're not familiar, each night, following the sunset, the tower has a special glittering light show every hour, on the hour for 5 minutes. To me there's something very whimsical about it. Some of the best views are from the Champ de Mars park.

Travel Lessons Learned

I missed my train to Budapest. I wasn't late, the problem if anything was being too early.

I checked out of my hotel, boarded the bus to the train station and had plenty of time before my train. The issue was, the Bratislava train station doesn't really have anywhere to sit and hang out prior to boarding. So, I went to my platform to wait. A train rolled up early, and just sat there. I looked around for anyone that worked at the station, but there was no one. So I got on board. Turns out... it was the wrong train.

Thanks to the assistance of the ticket inspector, and a random guy that she found to translate, I was told to get off at the next station. From there I had to wait 2 hours for another train to come through, to then take me to different station down the line, where I could then transfer to the correct train.

Thankfully, aside from about $4 for the extra train ticket and 2 hours lost in my day, I made it to the right train and my final destination.

Lesson: Even seasoned travelers make rookie mistakes.

If the train at your platform is really early, it's probably not your train. If the layout of the seats doesn't look right, it's probably not your train.

If you don't see anyone that works on the train, try to find any sort of digital signage that confirms the train destination.

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Blog Posts

Catch up on some of my blog posts below:

What to Know Before Visiting the Famous UW Cherry Blossoms

Spring is one of the best times to be in Seattle. The days are longer and everything is in bloom, most notorious of all, the UW Cherry Blossoms.

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A review of the Turnau City Aparthotel: stay or skip?

The Turnau City Aparthotel lacks the amenities of a hotel, but the proximity to the Krakow old town and train station make it a great option for accommodations in Krakow.

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What to Wear on Long Haul Flights: How to Plan for Maximum Comfort

It’s important you correctly plan what to wear on long haul flights. What you choose to wear will determine how comfortable you will be for the next 10-24 hours.

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Travel Must Haves

Vacuum Bags

I tried out a new brand of vacuum bags and I have to say, while the other ones I have are perfectly fine... these are better. The vacuum is much stronger, so it works faster. And, it's cordless (+ rechargeable) so you don't have to worry about finding a nearby outlet.

Shop Here