Back in 2006 the Tyvand's exited the comfort of the Pacific Northwest for an adventure overseas. First stop, China. We spent three years as teachers in Shekou, 45 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong. Second stop, Sarajevo. We arrived in August of 2009. Third stop, Almaty, Kazakhstan. We arrived August 2014.
From time to time, we'll post pictures and ramblings of our experiences. Enjoy.
We're on our way to the U.S. in a few days, but thought we'd share some snaps from our April visit to Tuscany. We departed Bosnia on a Friday night (Jim driving), met the Sr. Tyvand's in Venice for breakfast, then all of us continued to Asciano, just outside of Siena, where we met Rose's good friend Sandi and her son Spencer.
View from the tallest tower in San Giamangio (midieval Manhattan as it is referred to)
To keep the girls entertained, well Talin anyways, Rose created a scavenger list. Here is Talin with list and pen in hand, San Giamangio.
View of the main plaza in San Giamangio again from tallest tower in the town.
On to Siena, where Rose and Alma enjoying the afternoon in the plaza adjacent to the Duomo.
Ice cream in San Giamangio.
Alma "really" enjoying herself, San Giamangio.
Actually a photo from Lublijana, Slovenia, too cute not to include. We stopped here couple of days on our way back from Italy. We'll be back in Slovenia at the end of August, visiting Lake Bled in the northeast corner of the country.
The boys in Tuscany. Young Jim is on the left.
Thermal baths about 10km from us in Asciano. We spent an afternoon here. Talin and Alma were not crazy about the sulfur smell, but a small price to pay on a cool and cloudy Tuscan afternoon.
Siena Duomo, origins of the black and white colors that represent the region, now worn by city's futbol team (recently promoted to Serie A).
Tyvand's outside of San Giamangio.
Steps leading to main plaza in Siena. We spent the better part of an afternoon exploring the plazas and narrow streets of this picturesque city.
Easter egg hunt outside of our villa in Asciano.
La Pescara restaraunt between Asciano and Siena. If you go to Tuscany, eat here. We were the only tourists in the place, had to guess at much of what we ordered, all turned out beyond expectations.
This November the Tyvand's took advantage of a four day weekend (Bajrem, not Thanksgiving) loaded up the car and drove to Budapest. Budapest is a somewhat short 8 hour drive from Sarajevo. It takes us about 3 hours to escape the Bosnian road system, but once out, we're able to take advantage of the expressways (think autobahn) that the rest of Europe enjoys.
We stayed at the Bellevue B&B in the castle district on the Buda side of the city. For any of you planning to visit Budapest, we highly recommend it. We were joined by our good friend Dan who flew to Sarajevo a few days prior to our journey.
You can get this all from a guide book, but the brief lowdown on the city is that it is actually two cities that joined one another, Buda in the west, Pest in the East, divided by the Danube River. The city is considered the "capital" of Eastern Europe.
Here's a rundown on the places we visited:
Szechenyi Park and Thermal Baths - We spent most of our first and second days in/around the park. Almost as soon as we arrived Saturday morning (another overnight drive for Jim), Rose rounded up the girls and headed for the circus adjacent to the park. Dan and Jim took this opportunity to walk from the B&B in the castle district to the park, crossing a good part of the city in the process.Often as we visit places the Tyvand's go on "treasure" hunts using our GPS to find Geocache's hidden around the world. Below Talin proudly displays the treasure that she found just outside of Szechenyi Bath. Rose gave Talin a "list" of things to find/see while walking around Budapest. Finding the treasure was the last item on her list. Szechenyi Bath - We spent the better part of Sunday enjoying the public thermal bath complex located in the park. The complex was immense, and we found ourselves spending most of our afternoon in two of the outdoor pools.The girls enjoying the bath that was a little more kid friendly. Dan chillin in the thermal bath. There were many baths to choose from in the city, Szechenyi being the largest, and from what we could figure out, the most kid friendly. Most of the other baths were indoor complexes featuring Roman architecture, and featuring themes such as Men's Day, Men's Day clothing optional, Women's Day, Women's Day clothing option, clothing optional, please don't wear clothes, loin cloth provided, etc. Szechenyi seemed like the place for us.
Chain Bridge - Rumor has it the construction of this bridge at the end of the 19th century was the result of the king at the time being upset that he could not attend his daughter's wedding on the other side due to the fact that ice flows blocked crossing the river. Another way of saying that at the time the city needed a bridge but did not have one. Regardless of the reason, we found ourselves crossing this particular bridge multiple times a day. Rose and Talin pausing in front of a guardian lion, on our way from the Buda side to the Pest side of the city. Rose and Alma, looking towards the Buda side with the Royal Palace in the background. Dan and Jim on the Buda side, standing on the river walk/bike way that serves as a method of transport for commuters and tourists. The bike commuters were typically pleased that tourists use this route during the work day. Castle District - Home to..........a castle. This part of the city is a World Heritage site, and also where we stayed. About 50 steps up from our B&B, and we're there. Talin and Alma standing on the steps that we would take down to the Danube and the closest subway stop. Scenes from the CityTalin on a wall in the castle, looking down upon the Danube and the Parliament building. View of the Parliament building from the Buda side. View of the Royal Palace from the Chain Bridge. Opera Building in the heart of Pest. Heroes Square, also the place where Talin found one of the three Geocaches we searched for in the city.
Budapest at nightParliament Building Talin being serenaded at dinner our last night. Alma became ill during the day on Monday, so Dan and Jim took Talin to Corzo on the banks of the Danube. Parting Shot - Dan and Jim in front of our favorite restaurant in Sarajevo, Dveri. We take all of our guests here. If you come and visit, you'll see why.
View from the tallest tower in San Giamangio (midieval Manhattan as it is referred to)
To keep the girls entertained, well Talin anyways, Rose created a scavenger list. Here is Talin with list and pen in hand, San Giamangio.
View of the main plaza in San Giamangio again from tallest tower in the town.
On to Siena, where Rose and Alma enjoying the afternoon in the plaza adjacent to the Duomo.
Ice cream in San Giamangio.
Alma "really" enjoying herself, San Giamangio.
Actually a photo from Lublijana, Slovenia, too cute not to include. We stopped here couple of days on our way back from Italy. We'll be back in Slovenia at the end of August, visiting Lake Bled in the northeast corner of the country.
The boys in Tuscany. Young Jim is on the left.
Thermal baths about 10km from us in Asciano. We spent an afternoon here. Talin and Alma were not crazy about the sulfur smell, but a small price to pay on a cool and cloudy Tuscan afternoon.
Siena Duomo, origins of the black and white colors that represent the region, now worn by city's futbol team (recently promoted to Serie A).
Tyvand's outside of San Giamangio.
Steps leading to main plaza in Siena. We spent the better part of an afternoon exploring the plazas and narrow streets of this picturesque city.
Easter egg hunt outside of our villa in Asciano.
La Pescara restaraunt between Asciano and Siena. If you go to Tuscany, eat here. We were the only tourists in the place, had to guess at much of what we ordered, all turned out beyond expectations.
Ice cream and sun in Siena. 
