Chapter Two Recap: Europe
The last time I wrote a recap post we were 109 days into the Radical Sabbatical ™. We’re now 204 days in and we’ve wrapped two of four chapters. As we look forward to Chapter Three (Africa & The Middle East), I want to reflect on the second leg of our journey.
Over the past 204 days, we’ve traveled 38,393 miles, visited 13 countries, dealt in 15 different languages, slept in 61 beds, and taken 14 planes, 21 boats, 19 trains, and 36 buses. During Chapter Two (Europe) I’ve acquired a taste for espresso after dinner, my eyes no longer bleed for days upon being exposed to cigarette smoke and my expectation when entering a hike is that there will not be a single switchback. I now have buns of steel.
In this chapter we visited Spain (22 days), Germany (10 days), Austria (12 days), Slovenia (14 days), Serbia (2 days), Montenegro (12 days), Albania (14 days), Italy (3 days) and Istanbul (6 days).
Keeping with the theme of these recap posts, I give you the rose, bud, and thorn of the European leg of our journey:
My rose was seeing the confluence of so many historical stories unfold as we moved across Europe. Moving from Germany through Austria → Slovenia → Serbia → Montenegro → Albania → and then finally ending in Istanbul was a fascinating route. We started in the seat of the Austro Hungarian Empire (Vienna) and ended in the seat of the Ottoman Empire (Istanbul) and in between we traveled through areas both empires fought for and/or ruled. There’s a lot of history between these empires and present day and it was fun to learn about and contextualize that history while we were in each individual country. I wasn’t interested in history before this trip and I found European history to be particularly dull because like how many Henry’s can a family have (?) and I also can’t read Roman numerals so I’m out. It felt confusing, ancient, irrelevant and very far away. However, when you’re in a place, things have a way of feeling much more tangible. You’re able to see the composition of the area; the architecture, the food, the people, the religious sites. In our case, most of the countries we visited tied together so I was able to visualize a more complete picture of history as we moved through Europe. I’m excited to keep learning and making these connections as we move into Southern/East Africa and the Middle East.
My bud was meeting up with friends. We met up with friends in Italy (hi Dan! hi Sara! Hi Rose’s!) and in Istanbul (hi Christine!). It’s my bud because we have family meeting us in Southern Africa which I’m very much looking forward to, and I’m hopeful more folks will meet up with us in the Americas (hint hint) 🙂
As for the thorn, we’ve realized that no matter where we go, it’s always going to be something. ,When you’re at home, things are set up how you like them, in a way that makes sense for your life. Your bed has the exact number of pillows you like for a relaxing night's rest. You have a coffee machine that makes coffee the way YOU like it. You know which brand of body lotion you can count on, and you probably have a spare in your linen closet. You know which grocery store to go to for what you want. When moving around as much as we are, we’ve learned that it’s literally, without fail, always something. Why is Spanish Nivea lotion high quality but Turkish Nivea lotion trash?! Please allow me to paint a more complete picture.
We’re in a full size apartment, on the 5th floor, in Istanbul where it’s regularly 35 degrees celsius. The singular AC unit in the apartment is in the living room. A full dining room, hallway, bathroom and kitchen away from the bedroom. For my well to do American audience…there is not central air. There is an AC unit mounted to the ceiling. The room where the unit is, is the room that gets cool. When you are trying to sleep and the AC unit is half a world away it takes until approximately 5:30AM for the single stream of cool air to reach the bedroom. I beg of you…who made this decision?
Every business has a Google Business page. Throngs of reviews, recent pictures, WhatsApp phone number, business hours. Never, not once, are the hours of operation correct. Or they are “correct” in that the business door is in fact open, but it’s a restaurant and during their said operating hours the kitchen is closed. Again it’s a restaurant that is open but the kitchen is closed...so…. ***stares blankly into the abyss***
Hotels that provide one pillow for two heads. A sheet but no blanket. WiFi but it’s turned off from 8PM to 8AM…you know like the exact time you’re actually in your room and not out and about for the day. One plug in the whole suite and it’s above the toilet. HOTEL LAUNDRY SERVICE THAT WILL LAUNDER EVERYTHING BUT YOUR UNDERWEAR. So help me god.
Otherwise, after 7 months on the road, we’re feeling more settled. Although we have no defined routine, we’ve found a better rhythm. We’re cut throat in getting what we want out of a destination, rather than ceding to what we feel like we should do in a place.
After 7 months of sightseeing, guided activities, tours, and binking about different areas we know what’s worth dedicating time to and what’s fluff, we’ve identified which types of activities are worth paying for and we know when to pay to eliminate a hassle.
We’re also much more open to doing things by ourselves. When Quintin wants to go see his 37th church of the morning and I would rather die than see the same church for the 37th time, I don’t feel guilty getting a gelato and heading home.
Before we officially wrap Chapter Two of the Radical Sabbatical ™ I wanted to share a few fun statistics from the road!
Otherwise, we’ve been reading and listening to some content that you might find interesting. Below for playlists, podcasts and books!
PLAYLISTS: As mentioned in the Chapter One Recap in each country we visit, I download the Spotify Top 50 for that country and listen to it when we’re packing or in transit! Not all of the countries we visited in Europe have said playlists because they’re too small to be a target market for Spotify, but below for what I packed my bag 26 times to. My favorites so far are Vietnam, Germany & Turkey.
Slovenia, Serbia & Montenegro didn’t have official Top 50 playlists, but it’s worth mentioning that the most popular “Top Hits Slovenia” playlist on Spotify was simply the Barbie soundtrack. Endless love for Slovenia.
I’ve continued to add to my playlist based on what we’re hearing out and about.
PODCASTS:
The History of Yugoslavia: Title covers what it’s about. A bit dry, but thorough.
Fifteen Minute History: We listened to History of the Ottoman Empire Parts I and II, The Ottoman Balkans, Who Were the Turks & Islam's First Civil War. These episodes are smart, to the point and short.
La Brega: I’m listening to season II which talks about Puerto Rico through the lens of eight super famous songs. It’s a great listen.
BOOKS:
Spain
Nada
Queen of the South (didn't finish...)
Tokyo Decadence
Germany & Austria
Honeymooners
Slovenia
The Fig Tree
Solito
Montenegro
Catherine the Great and the Small (highly recommend)
Albania
The Covenant of Water
Chronicle in Stone
Looking FORWARD, here is how we’ll spend the next chapter (Africa & Middle East). We entered Africa by way of Madagascar on August 25th and we will leave sometime in January….
Madagascar: we already went here, more to come
South Africa: we’re currently here!
Zambia: Safari with Sally’s and also Victoria Falls
Zanzibar: relaxing at the beach, swimming with dolphins, and celebrating Q’s birthday
Ethiopia: we’ll be eating our way through Addis
Oman: no idea as we haven’t planned this far in advance but some combination of really exquisite cities, mountains, desserts, and swimming holes
UAE: marveling at the opulence
Egypt: there will be pyramids and there will be a nile cruise and I have no idea what else
Tunisia: literally no idea
Morocco: there will be shopping, there will be eating, there will be hiking, and god willing I’ll ride a camel on the beach
If you have connections anywhere we’re going, let us know! If you want to meet up, let us know!
