And so my adventure has ended. Following another delayed flight, I arrived in Missouri late Friday night. I suppose this would be the appropriate moment to briefly reflect.

First and foremost, I don’t regret having done this despite my initial fears that maybe I would. Furthermore, although my future is very much still up in the air, I think this kind of long-term independent travel has, for better or worse, forced me to be more accepting of uncertainty. It’s still somewhat unnerving not knowing what I’ll be doing for work or where I’ll be going, but I feel inclined to take my time in deciding.

As for this blog, it’s served its originally-intended purpose. I may find use for it again eventually, but for now there isn’t much else to say. Job hunting isn’t nearly as interesting a topic as traveling through Europe.

I made it to Boston late last night after one of the longest travel days of my life. I woke up at about 7:30 am (local time) in Frankfurt to catch a bus at 9 which arrived at the departing airport, Frankfurt-Hahn, at a little before 11. My flight wasn’t set to depart until 2:45, and there was a delay of over an hour, so I was waiting for around 4 hours before boarding. I had a connecting flight in Reykjavic, which was itself delayed for over two hours, supposedly due to a “baggage discrepancy” which is ironic because when we finally landed in Boston, several passengers’ bags, including mine, had been misplaced and were apparently still in Iceland. This was all the more painful because I specifically packed for the trip with the idea that I would only have carry-on luggage to avoid this kind of headache, but Iceland Express, being a budget airline, has lower maximum weight and dimensions for carry-on and I was therefore forced to check in my larger bag containing, among other items, all of my clothes and toiletries. Furthermore, Iceland Express only makes this flight between Reykjavic and Boston on Monday and Thursday, so I won’t receive my bag in the mail until at least Tuesday (assuming they haven’t lost it altogether). Fine way to end my journey. The only positive takeaway is that this is in fact the end of the trip, so being without extra clothes and toiletries is not as detrimental as it would be otherwise.

I fly back to Missouri in about 8 hours. In the meantime, I guess I’ll wander the streets of Boston for awhile.

Other than walking around and taking a few pictures, I haven’t done a whole lot in Leipzig. As with Berlin, it’s been raining or at least overcast most of the time I’ve been here. I did, however, manage to procure some Johannisbeersaft and Heidelbeer eis (blueberry ice cream), my other favorite food and drink from Germany (after beer and spaetzle).

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

Off to Frankfurt tomorrow, then I fly out on Thursday.

When I arrived in Berlin on Thursday, my first priority was food because I had been on a train all day and therefore hadn’t eaten lunch. I found a proper German restaurant near the hostel and ordered kasespatzle (which came with a salad), pomme frittes (french fries), and of course a pint. I stuffed my face.

From Europe 2011 – 2

The next day I went on the free walking tour in the afternoon and a pub crawl in the evening. It rained most of the day yesterday and I didn’t even leave the hostel until I met up with Caroline and Max for dinner. Today, although it’s still been raining on and off, I went to some kind of outdoor flea market that’s apparently held every Sunday. I’m off to Leipzig tomorrow.

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

I’ve been in Krakow since Sunday evening. On Monday, I went on a guided tour of Auschwitz in the morning followed by a pub crawl later that night with five Scottish guys I met on the train from Prague. Yesterday I went on a free walking tour of the “Old Town” area of Krakow. Today I started to go on another free walking tour, this time centered around the Jewish quarter, but bailed about half way through and went for a drink instead with a fellow bored tourist.

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

From Europe 2011 – 2

Krakow is, by far, the cheapest place I’ve visited while traveling. I can buy a pint of beer [at a bar] for less than $3 and a decent meal at a sit-down restaurant for about $5. Also, the hostel I’m staying at here is easily one of the best ones I’ve encountered. Breakfast and dinner are included in the price, the showers are great, and they occasionally give out free beer. Oh yeah, and I was able to do my laundry for free which is huge. Most places, if they even have a washing machine, want to charge anywhere between 8 and 12 EUR. On top of all of that, Krakow seems to be a factory for beautiful women. I could get used to this city.

I leave for Berlin tomorrow morning at 7:30 and won’t arrive until around 5:30. It will mark the first [and only] occasion on this entire trip that I visit somewhere I’ve actually been before.

As with Budapest, I didn’t do very many touristy things in Prague. Maybe I’m getting a little burned out. I did go on a free walking tour and a pub crawl though, and I suspect that’s just about all that most backpackers do in the form of tourism when they visit Prague. Still, I wish I had been motivated enough to go a tour of the Cold War era bunkers or participate in a beer tasting. I suspect Krakow will present a similar struggle. I think perhaps my imminent return flight in eleven days is weighing heavier on my mind now and has me more focused on the predicament I’ll find myself in when I arrive home.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

Budapest has gone by quickly. I didn’t do much the first night except settle in and go out for a couple drinks at a really unique bar (I went there again the next night). On Monday, I did my usual city-wandering for a few hours before taking a cave tour.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

Yesterday, I ate some proper Hungarian gulash, chilled for several hours at the thermal baths, and went to the Terror House, a museum located at the former secret police headquarters.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

I walked around a bit more this morning, mostly on the “Buda” side of the city. I was planning to hike up to the Citadel, but didn’t really feel up to it. I’ve been fighting some sort of allergy/sinus issues the whole time I’ve been in Budapest which has maybe prevented me from doing and seeing as much as I would normally like. The eye irritation has especially been a nuisance. I’m really hoping it will start to clear up by the time I arrive in Prague tomorrow morning, although an overnight train doesn’t seem like the best way to recover from anything.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

Written yesterday while waiting for the ferry from Hvar:

I’ve had a travel partner the last few days which has been a nice change of pace. The Aussie I met in Zagreb and went hiking with also ended up in Split (after deciding Dubrovnik was too far) and I ran into him again there. He was kind enough to give me some of the pictures he had taken in Zagreb that had me in them as well as various pictures from Split and Hvar since I lost my photos from those places.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

We rented scooters yesterday and rode around the island all afternoon and into the evening. What a blast. Driving the scooter was fun in and of itself, but on an island with secluded beaches, quaint fishing villages, lavender fields, and amazing views of the ocean and nearby islands? Oh, how I wished I had my camera. I took a couple pictures with my phone’s camera, but of course it wasn’t the same.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

I went scuba diving yesterday morning. It was fun, but I think it would be much more enjoyable if I spent the time to get certified – something to consider once my life settles down again.

I’m taking a ferry back to Split today, then a train or bus back up to Zagreb, and finally an overnight train to Budapest where I’ll stay for three nights.

I just arrived in Budapest a couple hours ago. My original plans had to be slightly altered which resulted in a much later arrival. I had to linger in Split all afternoon and well into the evening before taking the overnight train from there to Zagreb, then another train this morning to get to Budapest. Whereas the bus from Zagreb to Split had taken about five hours, the overnight train the other direction took about nine hours, and the train from Zagreb to Budapest took an additional seven hours with a 3 1/2 hour wait in between. I would like to say I’m done with trains for awhile, but I booked another overnight from Budapest to Prague. Going from Prague to Krakow, however, will be more complicated because my Eurail pass doesn’t work in Poland. It will also be an issue when I’m ready to go from Krakow to Berlin. I may split up those trips into a couple legs, or I could just utilize buses. I still have two travel days left on my Eurail pass though, so I need to decide how I’m going to use them. I’ll figure it out when I get to Prague.

Split was a beautiful town. Lots of beaches, well-preserved Roman ruins, mountains seemingly melting into the ocean, and clear blue waters. Now I’m in Hvar as planned. Again, the ocean view is something to behold. Unfortunately, there will be no pictures because I managed to lose my camera today at the beach and I hadn’t uploaded anything from the last three days. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but my best guess is maybe I jumped into the water with the camera in my pocket and it slipped out while underwater.

Needless to say, I’m incredibly angry with myself for losing yet another camera – not just because it was fairly expensive, but also because of all the pictures I’ve taken in the last few days that have disappeared with it as well all the future pictures I’ll no longer have the opportunity to take. I might look for another camera in the next couple days, but I’m not looking forward to the cost of such a replacement.

In an effort to end on a positive note: I’m going diving tomorrow.

I arrived in Zagreb at 4:20 AM the day before yesterday. Since I couldn’t actually check in to the hostel until 1 PM, I caught a few hours of uncomfortable sleep in the common area, then I went to a nearby microbrewery recommended by one of the staff and had gulash and a decent dark beer. I also had to make a stop at an ATM prior to getting food so I could withdrawal some kuna. I’m now carrying four different currencies – US dollars, British pounds, euros, and Croatian kuna. After finally checking in, I aimlessly explored Zagreb for a couple hours, then came back to the hostel and had an uneventful evening.

From Europe 2011

Yesterday, I met up with an Australian guy in the morning and we decided to go on a bike tour. The tour guide was in no hurry, and neither were we, so it took longer than advertised (we were the only people on the tour). Afterward, we went to another microbrewery that had been recommended by the guide. I had calamari and a wheat beer. Stomachs full and feeling adventurous, we decided to hike up the nearby mountain, Sljeme. A couple tram rides later, we were at the base.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

It took maybe three hours to reach the top. The sun was beginning to dip beneath the hills which made the view that much better. Although my camera battery was pretty much dead at this point, the other guy had a DSLR and took some great pictures. This mountain is used as a ski resort during the winter which also made for some interesting pictures. By the time we began heading back down, it was dusk. Initially, we were running down in short spurts, but that quickly became impractical as visibility decreased. For the last half hour or so, we were in almost complete darkness and relied on a little LED light I had in my daypack. When we finally made it down to the bottom and out of the woods, it was about 10. We quickly found a tram stop and made our way back to the hostel. Hiking down a mountain in Croatia at night? Check.

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011

As I write this, I’m on a bus to Split. I’ll be there for a couple nights, then probably ferry over to the island Hvar which I’ve heard is superb. There’s also a company in Hvar that does a “Discover Scuba Diving” course…

From Europe 2011

From Europe 2011