BELGRADE, SERBIA

I didn't really have high expectations for Serbia. I'd never really given Belgrade a thought, much less the whole country. Boy, was I surprised. The capital city is definitely urban, full of neutrals, connected by trams, looked over by the fortress and the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. It was a joy to be with the beautiful people who showed us the city. We had a few nights to simply be in their home, with incredible meals and laughing til our sides hurt. I'll go back just for that.

The Belgrade fortress and Kalemegdan park are a couple of the main tourist attractions in Belgrade. Even so, they weren't crowded on the icy day we visited. It was fun to wander the fortress grounds, see the views across the river and geek out at the perfect snowflakes that started falling midday. I can't even tell you how long it had been since I'd seen snow.

Mandy told us about a place that she'd been for some great Italian food in the city, so we headed to Guli for lunch. Coming from a place where good Italian is hard to find, this was a huge treat. The pastas were amazing, and the cheese! Also here's a picture of Bitter Lemon because we're keeping up with that trend.

Nycole had mentioned Aviator to us a few times, and we were excited to try it out. It was windy and icy still since the sun was going down, so the warm feel inside the café was extremely welcome. We sat at the communal table and took up our menus, quickly realizing that this wasn't just some coffee joint, but a sort of coffee lab.

We watched the process as Nycole ordered a syphon, Jordan got a chemex, and the rest of us got some boring lattés and tea. Everything was amazing.

The next day we woke up to what felt like three feet of snow. Hence, we spent the day playing, lazing and watching movies. Steven made us gyros for lunch (so delicious!) and we all got our fill of goofing off outside. I only lasted ten minutes, but I would still say that was my fill.

Cheese alert: Belgrade filled my little quality time tank. It reminded me that every city is someone's dear home, you just have to find the right people to open your eyes to the beauty of a place, and Belgrade is beautiful.

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

One thing that was totally random yet completely perfect about our trip through eastern Europe was our little overnight in Dubrovnik. While planning our trip last year, Pattie and I had talked about the possibility of coming to this little haven, since it's always been a dream of Pattie's to come here to explore. Why we didn't realize we were staying with the ultimate road-trip family and suggest this trip to them earlier, I don't know.

We arrived and enjoyed another golden hour welcome, gawking over the lovely view from our Airbnb's front porch. Our host offered us a drink and proceeded to show us the best routes to explore old Dubrovnik and how to get back to this place on the free public bus.

Before the sun got too low, we trekked down the alleyways of steps between the orange-roofed houses, finding cats along the way and stopping every now and then to comment on how I was shivering in 50 degrees and Pattie was simply wearing a cardigan.

We made it to the old city, and the sun dropped out of the sky pretty dramatically. The well-lit streets were beautiful, buzzing with people, but not too crowded. The entire downtown is a walled fortress built long ago, and though we saw it with some modern touches, it was as if we'd been transported back in time. We got what seemed like the Croatian version of a hotdog (but much better, in my opinion) after perusing the shops and stores lining the ancient city.

We grabbed some Balkan snacks (Pringles, Schweppes, you know) at the tiny old town supermarket before heading back to our place to binge watch "The Flash."

In the morning we dived right back into the windy city. This place was just so perfect in all it's medieval glory, it was just too much. Down to every detail, Dubrovnik was a place different than I had ever seen. I'd heard rumors of Game of Thrones, and now Star Wars being filmed here, and I completely understand why. It felt untouched by anyone from the outside, almost like we were the only tourists to have ever come here.

Two things we tried during our time in Croatia were arancini and Turkish coffee. I'd heard a bunch of buzz about the latter, but no one had ever said "don't stir it," so obviously, I stirred it. And I was left with a mouthful of what Pattie and I deemed "coffee sludge." The taste was good, but since I was left picking little coffee debris out of my teeth several long minutes later, I might be done. Arancini is candied orange peel, and I just love it. You can get candied fruit peels in a lot of places, but this was a first for me and I will be learning how to make it myself, thanks.

Our last stop before heading back to Montenegro was the Dubrovnik harbor. Windy, chilly, cold and as bright as can be, this was a sight to behold. Mountains for miles along the coast, you could just catch the smallest glimpse of the flat sea that separated this country from the Italian peninsula. Looking up the mountain and seeing the peppering of homes, those orange roofs and almost-white stone walls blinding in the sunshine, and the yachts floating in the sapphire blue water. I'm pretty happy with the images I have, and even still it doesn't do this place justice. A million thanks to Jeff, Jen & their kids for this brief trip. It's no wonder they travel as much as they do.

BAY OF KOTOR + BAR, MONTENEGRO

The first and only time I'd heard of Montenegro before this trip was when James Bond vacationed there, so I'd seen the beautiful scapes on the screen. Montenegro was every bit as beautiful and breathtaking as it was in the movies.

Pattie and I arrived at golden hour on AirSerbia to the one-gate airport in Podgorica. Jeff found us easily in the crowd of maybe 20 people and we drove some of the most incredible mountain roads I've ever been on, and I felt a little crazy and had to stop myself from asking to stop every five minutes to take pictures. After passing Skadar Lake and driving into Bar, we stopped at a little lit up roadside restaurant to try a Balkan favorite, cévapi. Imagine a sandwich of sorts with sausages, peppers, pickles and a spicy paste. Amazing.

In the morning we saw more of Montenegro's best: food and views. We feasted on kiflice and palacînka for breakfast, the former being crescent yeast rolls filled with cheese and ham, the latter resembling but beating a chocolate crêpe.

On our way to Croatia, we traveled down the coast toward the Bay of Kotor. We stopped to take pictures of Sveti Stefan, a former village that's been a resort for the hi-so in some way, shape, or form for over the past half century. Can't get over those roofs.

On our first way through the Bay of Kotor, we ferried across to shorten the trip, loving the sunny, windy ferry ride and marveling at the deep blue of the water. On our way back, we drove around, getting to see more details and gaping in awe of the churches basically floating on the surface of the water. Our Lady of the Rocks, and St. George's Benedictine monastery.

I never thought I would ever get to say I'd been to a place like this. I mean, who in the world has been to Montenegro? I will forever be thankful for our extremely knowledgable hosts who made absolutely sure we saw every bit of richness this country had to offer.