Iceland Show Notes

1. HAFNARBERG -Sea - Cliffs.                                                              

https://www.visitreykjanes.is/en/travel/places/nature/hafnarberg-seacliffs

2. Harpa Opera house 

https://en.harpa.is/

3. Eldur og Ís - Ice cream and crepes

https://www.facebook.com/eldurogis/

4. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur - hot dog stand

http://www.bbp.is/

5. Sun Voyager

https://sunvoyager.is/

6. Golden Circle

https://guidetoiceland.is/best-of-iceland/top-9-detours-on-the-golden-circle

7. Silfra snorkeling 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Reykjavik/Snorkel-With-The-Trolls-Day-Tour-to-Silfra-Glacial-Fissure/d905-50287P18

8. Thingvellir National Park

https://www.thingvellir.is/en/

9. Gullfoss Falls

http://gullfoss.is/

10. Geyser- hot spring area 

https://www.icelandtravel.is/attractions/geysir/

11. Breakfast Cafe’s - 

Kornið bakarí

Lækjargata 4, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

12. Snæfellsnes

Hotel at the gateway to the Peninsula:

https://rjukandi.com/

https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/regina/the-magical-snaefellsnes-peninsula

13. Snæfellsjökull Glacier snow-cat tour

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g666462-d20275230-Snaefellsjokull_Glacier_snow_cat_tour-Grundarfjorour_West_Region.html

14. Gentle Giants Whale Watching 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Products-g189963-d2016102-Gentle_Giants_Whale_Watching-Husavik_Northeast_Region.html

15. Lake Myvatn

 https://guidetoiceland.is/nature-info/the-ultimate-guide-to-lake-myvatn

16. Ásbyrgi canyon

Tour Company for our Show Host

https://www.privatetourskrakow.com/

Hotel in the Old Town

https://hotelgrodek.com/

Metropolitan Hotel in the Jewish Quarter

https://hotelmetropolitan.pl/

St. Mary’s Basilica (on the Old Square)

https://mariacki.com/en/

Founder of Café Culture in Europe

https://culture.pl/en/article/the-spy-who-started-cafe-culture-a-secret-polish-history

Wawel Castle Krakow

https://wawel.krakow.pl/en

Main Square (Krakow)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Square,_Krak%C3%B3w

Honey & Rasberry Restaurant

https://miodmalina.pl/en/

Klezmierz Hois Restaurant

https://klezmer.pl/en/

Auschwitz-Birkenau

http://auschwitz.org/en/

Salt Mines

https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/

Zakopane (mountain town in the Tatra Mountains)

https://discoverzakopane.com/

Dragon Festival

http://www.krakow-poland.com/event/63/great-dragon-parade

Oskar Schindler Museum

https://muzeumkrakowa.pl/en/branches/oskar-schindlers-enamel-factory

National Museum of Krakow

https://mnk.pl/dashboard/branches

Wikipedia link to Kazimierz (the Jewish Quarter)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz

Book written by our guest, Christopher Skutela

100 MOMENTS POLAND: A Virtual Travel Guide

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HQ6DXPT/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_69XF615FEEJTES65P323

Taigan Expeditions

https://taiganexpeditions.com/

Turkish Airlines

https://www.turkishairlines.com/

Aeroflot

https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en

Emirates

https://www.emirates.com/us/english/

ISSYK KUL LAKE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issyk-Kul

BISHKEK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishkek

ALA ARCHA NATIONAL PARK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ala_Archa_National_Park

BURANA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burana,_Kyrgyzstan

SONG KUL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Kol_Lake

TASH RABAT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tash_Rabat

OSH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osh

KARAKOL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakol

DJETI OGUZ

https://web.archive.org/web/20100420202125/http://mountains.tos.ru/karacol.htm

ALTYN ARASHAN

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altyn_Arashan

Taigan Expeditions

https://taiganexpeditions.com/

Turkish Airlines

https://www.turkishairlines.com/

Aeroflot

https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en

Emirates

https://www.emirates.com/us/english/

ISSYK KUL LAKE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issyk-Kul

BISHKEK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishkek

ALA ARCHA NATIONAL PARK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ala_Archa_National_Park

BURANA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burana,_Kyrgyzstan

SONG KUL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Kol_Lake

TASH RABAT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tash_Rabat

OSH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osh

KARAKOL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakol

DJETI OGUZ

https://web.archive.org/web/20100420202125/http://mountains.tos.ru/karacol.htm

ALTYN ARASHAN

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altyn_Arashan

Tours and transfers:

https://www.tours.moscow or https://www.moscowprivatetours.com/

Hotels:

5*: 

National Hotel https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mowlc-hotel-national-a-luxury-collection-hotel-moscow/

Four Seasons https://www.fourseasons.com/moscow/

Ritz Carlton https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/europe/moscow

St.Regis Hotel https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mowxr-the-st-regis-moscow-nikolskaya/

Areas to look for accommodation in: Tverskoy district, Arbat, Presnenskiy district, Zamoskvorechye, Dorogomilovo. 

3*-4*: Izmaylovo Hotels https://www.izmailovo.ru/en/

Restaurants: 

Metropol Hotel https://metropol-moscow.ru/

Grand-Cafe Dr. Zhivago https://drzhivago.ru/en/menu-2/main

Hleb Nasushny https://hlebnasushny.ru/en/

Karavaev Brothers https://www.karavaevi.ru/about/adress.php

Cafe Pushkin https://cafe-pushkin.ru/en/

LavkaLavka Restaurant https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298484-d6783642-Reviews-LavkaLavka_Farm_Restaurant-Moscow_Central_Russia.html

The White Rabbit https://whiterabbitmoscow.ru/ru/

Vysota 5642 restaurant 

My Best Tours (Paolo’s company for the golf cart tour of Rome)

www.mybesttour.com

Where to Stay in City Center:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1P3WX44gDGOXz41IP8Lnxuiv4N0xBxZw1&ll=41.89976135386728%2C12.479798249999998&z=13

Ottavio, a very good fish restaurant:

https://ottavio.it/

Da Tonino, typical Roma cuisine near Piazza Navona. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Da-Tonino/391157047967465

Ai Balestrari, three restaurants in Rome and one in Milan. 

www.aibalestrari.com

Emma, traditional cuisine and pizza. 

https://www.emmapizzeria.com/

Ristorante dei Musei, also known as Giulio & Maria, near the Vatican Museums and next door to one of our offices. Traditional Roman cuisine, only open for lunch. Amusing owners and moderately priced, the ideal break before entering the Vatican Museums. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d2661865-Reviews-Ristorante_dei_Musei-Rome_Lazio.html

QueenBee: https://www.facebook.com/QueenBeeRestaurant/ 

Pizzeria Piccolo Buco: https://www.pizzeriapiccolobuco.it/ 

Dar filettaro a Santa Barbara: This is a very special place that only serves fried cod

https://www.facebook.com/FilettiDiBaccala/.

Gino Sorbillo, one of the best pizza places in Naples, has opened up a couple of places in Rome:

1 _ Gino Sorbillo Lievito Madre a Roma, Largo Augusto Imperatore 46. T

hey don’t take reservations. http://www.ginosorbilloromamenu.it/

2 _ Gino Sorbillo Pizza Gourmand, inside the most interesting shopping mall downtown: c/o La Rinascente in Via Tritone 61, Roma.

https://www.sorbillo.it/gino-sorbillo-pizza-gourmand-roma

Roscioli, traditional Roman fast food and pizza. 

http://www.anticofornoroscioli.it/

https://mybesttour.com/tour/car-tour/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_d%27Este

Castelgandolfo and Nemi, the first is a lovely small town on top of the rim of volcanic lake and it’s been the popes’ summer residence since the 17th century, while the other is even smaller and quainter and it also overlooks a volcanic lake. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Gandolfo

Florence, it takes less then 3 hours to reach Florence by train from Rome and Florence is a small walkable town, so you don’t need transportation to get around, however, you can still take a taxi when you get tired. Anyway, Florence is small, but to make the best out of your visit, it’s advisable to hire a guide. Your guide would meet you at the train station, which is in the center of the city, ant take you on 3-hour tour covering the city’s major highlights. Of course, you can extend your time with the guide to include a large museum in your tour, like the Uffizi or Pitti Palace.

Pompeii and Amalfi Coast, for a small group with less than 3 people, it is convenient to take a train from Rome to Naples and, once there meet a driver/guide for the tour along the beautiful, world famous, coast. For larger groups, going on this day trip with a driver-guide starting from Rome is more convenient than doing part of the trip by train. First because you don’t have to worry about finding your way to the train station and all that, and also because the cost of the train tickets added the fare for the driver-guide for the tour along the coast from Naples, for a group of 4 people, equals the cost of the driver-guide for the day. I need to bring to your attention that, though the driver-guide may be well experienced and speaking good English, he cannot take you on a tour inside the excavations of Pompeii, you’ll need to hire a local guide for this.

 Orvieto and Assisi, it’s not possible to do this by train in a day, this is something you need to hire a driver/guide for. The drive to Orvieto takes less than 1.5 hours and, once there, you can enjoy visiting the Cathedral which is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy and strolling around this beautiful, quaint, small town. After a quick lunch break, you get back in the minivan and head for Assisi taking the scenic route along the course of the Tiber River. If time allows it, you can stop briefly in Todi on the way. Once in Assisi, you’ll visit the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and that of St. Francis. Your driver-guide, though well experienced and speaking good English, cannot take you on a tour inside the basilicas, you’ll need to hire a local guide for this. https://mybesttour.com/tour/car-tour/#daytrips

 In addition to the possible destinations mentioned in the answers to Question 6 (Day 3), Tivoli, Castelgandolfo and Ostia Antica, which can be combined into a full day excursion, hereunder we list several other places 1 or 2 hours away from Rome:

 Tivoli, Villa D’Este and Hadrian’s Villa. Besides Villa D’Este, there’s also another place to visit in Tivoli and that’s Hadrian’s Villa. The tour of Villa D’Este takes about an hour and a half, the tour of Hadrian’s Villa takes just as long, and the two are a few kilometers apart. Therefore, it’s almost impossible to visit both places in a half-day, but in 6 hours you can do it and you also have time for some lunch between the two visits.

The Catacombs an Castelgandolfo. This is another 6-hour tour covering the Catacombs which are in Rome, but far from the center, and Castelgandolfo which is about 30 minutes away from the city. Castelgandolfo is a lovely small town on top of the rim of volcanic lake and it’s been the popes’ summer residence since the 17th century. The area is called the Alban Hills or Roman Castles and it’s always been renowned for the good food and wines, so it wouldn’t be bad idea to have lunch in one of the many good restaurants in the area. Wine lovers can walk around the town’s wine shops and...

Százéves Restaurant (Centennial Restaurant - 100 year old restaurant)

http://www.szazevesetterem.hu/

New York Café - World’s Most Beautify Restaurant)

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/budapest-new-york-cafe/index.html

Matthias Cellar (closed for renovation)

http://www.matyaspince.eu/

Kid friendly restaurants

https://pizzame.hu/en?hazhozszallitas

https://www.zingburger.hu/en/

The most famous historical coffee and cake house:

https://gerbeaud.hu/en/

Public transportation ticket purchase (Recommended) 

https://bkk.hu/en/

Parliament visit(needs to be booked 1-2 month ahead) https://jegymester.hu/production/480000/Parlamentilatogatas

Hospital in the rock museum: https://www.sziklakorhaz.eu/en/

Dracula´s chamber: http://labirintus.eu/en/drakula-kamraja/

House of Terror Museum (WW2 and Soviet era): 

https://www.terrorhaza.hu/en

Budapest spa information (lavish pool)

https://www.spasbudapest.com

Hungarian cooking class: 

https://www.cookingbudapest.com 

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sz%C3%A9chenyi_Chain_Bridge

Overview of Budapest’s Ruin Bars

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/a-brief-history-of-budapests-ruin-bars/

Taxi services much safer to order online (we don´t have Über), never stop taxi cars on the street, always ask the receptionist in the hotel or restaurant to call a taxi for you or use Bolt.

https://bolt.eu/en/

Lake Balaton (excursion)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Balaton

Airfare to Budapest