My new favorite national park: Plitvice Lakes in Croatia
When we traveled to Plitvice Lakes, I didn’t know what to expect. Perhaps that is why I was so taken aback by the incredible beauty of the lakes and the ingenious design of the park. Plitvice Lakes is, by far, the best national park I have ever visited. The clear blue lakes and cascading waterfalls are made accessible to tourists via wooden bridges that hover just centimeters above the water. As visitors stroll along the path, the lake ebbs and flows beneath them and they are guided to the best view of each waterfall, even if the viewpoint happens to be in the middle of a lake. The entire experience is almost magical, although sadly not wheelchair accessible. I fear that such an awe-inspiring tourist path could never be built in the United States because environmentalists would not permit such incursions into the lakes and because lawyers would not permit a bridge without hand rails.

Unexpected rip-off: Great Synagogue in Budapest
I fully expected to get ripped off at least once in Budapest (probably by a taxi driver). I never expected that I would be ripped off by employees at the Great Synagogue in Budapest. As far as I can tell, the security guard and synagogue tour company were in cahoots to direct tourists to buy more expensive tickets with guided tours from the tour company rather than regular entrance tickets from a kiosk just beyond the security checkpoint. It is sad that these people would take advantage of tourists who want to learn about the history of the Holocaust in Budapest. It disrespects the memories of the victims who died and who are buried at the Synagogue.

Great place to spend a vacation on the beach: South Croatian Islands
On our second day in Split, we traveled to Bol, a resort town in South Croatia. What we discovered were the beautiful sand and/or pebble beaches of the South Croatian Islands. Relaxed, sufficiently developed, and full of tourists, the South Croatian Islands offer a relatively affordable place to spend a week on the beach (at least affordable to Europeans who don’t need to fly across a major ocean to get here). If I were a resident of Central or Eastern Europe, I’d spend my vacations here.