So its been a bit, but I guess I’ve been busy in the meantime. I’m writing this on a train to Berlin from Prague, and I’ve been travelling around a bit before, doing lots of stuff and falling behind on the world. It is pretty good though, and I’m travelling with someone, which is definitely a welcome change. That said, it’s also a bit weird coming to the end of this, and realising I finish travelling in just under a month.

The Inca Trail was great, an amazing path, although there are many people on it, so definitely not remote. It is absolutely stunning though, I took over 400 photos, which I still need to go through and prune. From there I went to Iquitos to see the Amazon. I went on a “survival” style camp, which while was a bit uncomfortable, but also was a very interesting way to see a very different part of the world. From Iquitos to Lima to recover before leaving the continent.

South America really is an amazing place, with some massive problems. The continent is very varied, but also stunning with what it has to offer. It also is fairly wild, with lots of places being uninviting. The people though were really nice, offering to help although knowing Spanish is mandatory (and Portuguese in Brazil). I’m very interested to see how its going to develop in the future, as travelling though you can feel that there is huge potential, but also a very different attitude to life, and some very real problems with the financial systems.

From Lima, I flew to Chicago to have a look around my future home. It seems like a cool place, similar to New York, yet also very different. Walking around it seems friendly and a bit slower paced, yet also seems to have a lot to do. Being there, there is a distinct sense of the city being second, as many of its aspects are second to NYC, I had a look at a few neighbourhoods which seem interesting, but I’ll revisit again as I start looking for places to live.

And after all of this, I’m off to a third continent, flying into Paris. Always great coming back, a really nice city, with lots around and generally being very comfortable. Plus coming to see someone makes it a little better. But this time, it is a visit to parts of France I haven’t been to before, being Normandy. I have to say that the beaches in Europe really aren’t comparable to Australia. It’s amazing how easily you forget how spoilt we are at home, but there are still things in Europe we just don’t have. I went around to visit Etretat and Mont Saint Michel, which are just amazingly picturesque. Definitely things we don’t have at home. Some of the small cities around the countryside there are very cute, with all their colours and older styles.

After a bit of sightseeing in France, we went to see some other parts. Starting in Croatia, we flew into Split. Coming in we did a tour of some islands and went to see Krka, and its waterfall. It is very pretty there, albeit with many tourists too. The water though, was amazingly clear and cool to swim in, it was just a bit of a shame that there wasn’t much to see in it. From Split, we drove to Dubrovnik, stopping at some places along the way, and seeing more beaches and coasts. Dubrovnik was also quite nice, with a very pretty fort old city. The colours of the stones there are quite special, especially watching them change as the sun moves through the sky.

From Dubrovnik to Budapest, a much larger city with a bit more happening. A city that definitely seems to be on the up, with a bit happening for tourists and some foods that are more familiar to my home. Very odd eating like that after so long in South America, with a very different style of food, The two sides of the Danube are similar but provide a subtly different experience, with Buda being a bit quieter the Pest, but staying in the Jewish Quarter was definitely the right move. Where the city seems to be, right in the centre with nightlife and a lot of restaurants around, with lots of young people on the streets too. After Budapest, Bratislava was very different, a lot quieter but a really nice place to rest for a couple of days. A much smaller city, but with lots of interesting statues around for fun photos, but also some interesting buildings and things to see too.

Then it was back to a bigger city again, being Vienna. Vienna is definitely an old, rich, European city, maybe comparable to Paris in some aspects, but in the centre of Europe. Vising the castles, the Hofburg and Schonburg, are definitely something, being huge and quite stately. I was surprised to see so much about the empress Elizabeth, Sissi, being that I’d never heard about her, but she seems to be a very well known person here, being the centrepiece of the palace exhibits. Otherwise, walking around the city it is really cool seeing parts of the former imperial capital, and you can definitely see parts of Budapest that share similarities. Although, one of the best parts was the film festival which was happening at the time, and going there in the afternoon to have a drink and a snack in the food court with lots of different stalls was great fun.

From Vienna to Prague, a bit smaller, but very old and very visited by tourists. Walking around the city, is really nice, with subtly different vibes as you cross unseen borders. All of a sudden you start seeing Hebrew on the stores, or more concrete in the buildings as you move into a different neighbourhood. Although, it was something else going to visit Terezin, and the ghetto and camp there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or experienced anything like it, and it definitely makes the holocaust a bit more real. I think I’m still processing everything I saw there, as I found it a bit overwhelming at the end, seeing the scale and contrast of what seems to be a pretty town with what happened there.

Now I’m off to Berlin, to see parts of the city again and some of the clubs again. Really looking forward to it, but also starting to prepare for my return home and to a more “normal” life (although this is starting to feel very normal by now). It’s a bit of a melancholic feeling, but I’m getting excited for the next stage, and seeing the same people for more than a few days at the time. Although, I’m really looking to seeing my sister soon, as she’s now in Europe too and we’re going to cross paths while travelling. Been a bit since I’ve seen someone from home.