My 30 day interrail trip around Europe had taken me to amazing sights, enabled me to meet fascinating people and forced me to face myself and grow in the process.
Around Europe in 30 days #25: The end of the road (Vienna)
Around Europe in 30 days #24: Things might have taken a dark turn (Balkan)
My travel companion had disembarked in Budapest and decided to let me sleep, therefor leaving the door unlocked. The conductor asked me to secure the latch, which I complied with drowsily. And in hindsight, I am grateful that he did ensure that I did.
Around Europe in 30 days #23: With hand and feet (Istanbul)
And even though I did not speak Turkish and they did not speak German or English, we ended up having a full fledged conversation with a mixture of basic words and body language.
Around Europe in 30 days #22: “Carpet, madam?” (Istanbul)
After Athens, I took a train to Thessaloniki (Greece) and from there a night train to Istanbul where I arrived on Sep 20th. And honestly, even though the weather was grey and gloomy, the city and its people were amazing.
Around Europe in 30 days #21: Lost in translation (Athens)
Athens confronted me with a problem that I had anticipated earlier but had been spared: Language barriers
Around Europe in 30 days #20: You don’t have to be alone (Mediterranean)
On the ferry, I encountered two other backpackers around my age, one from Sweden and one from Japan. We had interesting exchanges about our home countries and travel experiences over dinner on deck, sharing our travel provisions.
Around Europe in 30 days #19: A brush with faith (Italy)
A Catholic priest, a Vatican assistant and a German backpacker are sitting on a train... Sounds like the beginning of a (potentially inappropriate) joke. But it actually happened.
Around Europe in 30 days #18: Let’s talk about the people (Italy)
People like to think in stereotypes. And the only way to confirm or dismiss them is for you to meet people. One of my most striking impressions of Italians (especially in Venice and in Rome) during my visits was... how friendly and helpful people turned out to be.
Around Europe in 30 days #17: All roads lead to… (Rome)
Due to the early starts of fall, my first day of exploration in Rome was mostly grey and drizzly, but I was still fascinated. Rome feels like an open-air museum and has so many different styles of architecture to offer. You can just walk down a street and suddenly be faced with ancient Roman ruins or an old renaissance building.
Around Europe in 30 days #16: Maybe I am likeable (Rome)
After Venice, I headed south to the eternal city of Rome. What stuck with me most during this visit were the interactions I had with other travelers.
Around Europe in 30 days #15: Stepping back in time (Venice)
Heading into Venice with a train is kind of fascinating in itself. There is nothing but water around you for miles, but you can see the lagoon city growing in the distance. And once you actually step out of the train station, it is like your stepped back in time and into a different world.
Around Europe in 30 days #14: “Fake it ’til you make it” (Italy)
My train route to Venice involved a train change in Milan and in theory, there would have been enough time to get to the connecting train. But, as you know, life (and travel) does not always go as planned.
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