To Europe and Back Again

Back in late August and all through September, I spent some time backpacking through Europe with my wife. We traveled by rail to quite a few cities, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Hallstatt, Interlaken, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Rome, and Venice. We braved mosquitos, bedbugs, and drunk creepers on overnight trains and had a great time.

A few things we took away from the trip:

1. People with roller suitcases are the bane of our existence.
2. In-train entertainment is not necessary when you are traveling through the Alps and are sitting next to a perfectly good window.
3. Go where all the locals eat. (i.e. Alle Vecchia Betolla in Florence. Loved the pork ribs)
4. 1st class train travel can be a welcome respite from long travel days, but 2nd class is where all the interesting people are.
5. Packing cubes are a godsend for backpackers.
6. Backpacking far from home and for many weeks is a perfect opportunity to better know one’s self and your significant other.

Here are a few photos from the trip:

At the Tower of London

Atop the Eiffel Tower

La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hallstatt, Austria

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Ancient Egyptian Tablet in the Vatican Museum

The Colosseum

Piazza San Marco

Venice Grand Canal at Sunset

Traveling Without Moving

If you liked these, you can CLICK HERE to see the entire Flickr set.