I figured that before I take off for China I should give a brief summary of my summer travels. This summer I was lucky enough to take a 25 day backpacking trip with my senior year housemates around Europe. (Jeff, TK, Dan, and Riley in order)
During our travels we visited 9 cities all over Europe each only taking one bag and staying in hostels the whole way. As this trip happened a while ago I'll just touch on a few highlights of this trip but if you're going to be traveling to any of these cities feel free to ask me for recommendations.
Dublin: City 1
We arrived in Dublin at 7 am and headed for our hostel. Unfortunately, through a freak accident that we can't really blame anyone for, we ended up getting lost. After 45 minutes of wandering we finally found our hostel and set off on a walking tour of Dublin (we took a walking tour of every city we went to so I won't repeat this for each city). After our walking tour we headed to a tour and tasting at the Jameson Distillery. We finished up our lone day in Dublin with a pub crawl.
London: City 2
We left Dublin for London and despite our jet lag we continued our sightseeing. Some highlights of London were the Imperial War Museum, Camden Lock, and our late night walk. The Imperial War Museum was just renovated and featured a number of exhibits which utilized a variety of very cool technology. Camden Lock, a very hipster neighborhood, had some of the best food in London as well as some great music. The pictures from our late night walk around London are included below.
We arrived in Dublin at 7 am and headed for our hostel. Unfortunately, through a freak accident that we can't really blame anyone for, we ended up getting lost. After 45 minutes of wandering we finally found our hostel and set off on a walking tour of Dublin (we took a walking tour of every city we went to so I won't repeat this for each city). After our walking tour we headed to a tour and tasting at the Jameson Distillery. We finished up our lone day in Dublin with a pub crawl.
London: City 2
We left Dublin for London and despite our jet lag we continued our sightseeing. Some highlights of London were the Imperial War Museum, Camden Lock, and our late night walk. The Imperial War Museum was just renovated and featured a number of exhibits which utilized a variety of very cool technology. Camden Lock, a very hipster neighborhood, had some of the best food in London as well as some great music. The pictures from our late night walk around London are included below.
Lisbon: City 3
We left London for lovely Lisbon (sorry for the alliteration) which was my choice out of our cities. We spent our time in Lisbon enjoying the incredible seafood and beautiful sights of Lisbon. While on the beach in Lisbon we were actually lucky enough to see the fishermen bring in their catch for the day and sell it to locals straight out of the net right on the sand. Unfortunately TK lost his phone to a pickpocket while we were there but the beautiful and refreshingly cheap Lisbon was one of my favorite stops on the trip.
Barcelona: City 4
Unfortunately, due to some bad planning on our part we ended up only having a short time in Barcelona which we took full advantage of. We managed to see a lot of Barcelona's main sites in our short time there and finished up our stay by enjoying some of Barcelona's famous night life.
We left London for lovely Lisbon (sorry for the alliteration) which was my choice out of our cities. We spent our time in Lisbon enjoying the incredible seafood and beautiful sights of Lisbon. While on the beach in Lisbon we were actually lucky enough to see the fishermen bring in their catch for the day and sell it to locals straight out of the net right on the sand. Unfortunately TK lost his phone to a pickpocket while we were there but the beautiful and refreshingly cheap Lisbon was one of my favorite stops on the trip.
Barcelona: City 4
Unfortunately, due to some bad planning on our part we ended up only having a short time in Barcelona which we took full advantage of. We managed to see a lot of Barcelona's main sites in our short time there and finished up our stay by enjoying some of Barcelona's famous night life.
Budapest: City 5
We arrived in Budapest a little worse for wear after enjoying Barcelona's night life. However, we persevered and explored the stunning city of Budapest. Budapest is famous for its "ruin bars" pubs located in borderline condemned buildings that decorate themselves with secondhand furniture. We did not find these nearly as enticing as many travel guides did as they were essentially the equivalent of a Friday night at a state school. However, two highlights of Budapest were the thermal baths (sorry no photos) and Budapest escape rooms.
Istanbul: City 6
Istanbul provided us with a welcome reprieve from more traditional European cities. The incredible food, people, and sights of Istanbul definitely made it a favorite among the group. We spent our days exploring the old sites of the city including the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and the Hagia Sophia; and our nights sitting along the street enjoying tea and hookah. The massive number of Syrians and Iraqi's reminded us of the trouble right over the border.
We arrived in Budapest a little worse for wear after enjoying Barcelona's night life. However, we persevered and explored the stunning city of Budapest. Budapest is famous for its "ruin bars" pubs located in borderline condemned buildings that decorate themselves with secondhand furniture. We did not find these nearly as enticing as many travel guides did as they were essentially the equivalent of a Friday night at a state school. However, two highlights of Budapest were the thermal baths (sorry no photos) and Budapest escape rooms.
Istanbul: City 6
Istanbul provided us with a welcome reprieve from more traditional European cities. The incredible food, people, and sights of Istanbul definitely made it a favorite among the group. We spent our days exploring the old sites of the city including the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and the Hagia Sophia; and our nights sitting along the street enjoying tea and hookah. The massive number of Syrians and Iraqi's reminded us of the trouble right over the border.
Copenhagen: City 7
We arrived in rainy Copenhagen which provided a welcome relief from the heat of Istanbul. We wandered around Copenhagen for days enjoying the comfortable weather and the beautiful parks of the city. After several weeks of traveling (and pretty terrible food poisoning) Copenhagen gave us a perfect few days of relaxation.
Berlin: City 8
While the rest of the guys headed off to Amsterdam I made my way south to go visit my friend Tyler who was in Berlin for the summer. I spent my first day outside the city at an incredible lake, and the following several days touring around Berlin seeing the Brandenburg Gate, the Bundestag, and Museum Island.
Prague: City 9
Prague was our final, and my favorite, city. We spent our first day enjoying a beer garden overlooking the city and that night actually met a bar owner from Iowa who invited us to join him to celebrate the 4th of July. We ended up joining with almost 100 other Americans in Prague for a very fun night. Such a beautiful and relaxed city provided us with a perfect end to our trip.
We arrived in rainy Copenhagen which provided a welcome relief from the heat of Istanbul. We wandered around Copenhagen for days enjoying the comfortable weather and the beautiful parks of the city. After several weeks of traveling (and pretty terrible food poisoning) Copenhagen gave us a perfect few days of relaxation.
Berlin: City 8
While the rest of the guys headed off to Amsterdam I made my way south to go visit my friend Tyler who was in Berlin for the summer. I spent my first day outside the city at an incredible lake, and the following several days touring around Berlin seeing the Brandenburg Gate, the Bundestag, and Museum Island.
Prague: City 9
Prague was our final, and my favorite, city. We spent our first day enjoying a beer garden overlooking the city and that night actually met a bar owner from Iowa who invited us to join him to celebrate the 4th of July. We ended up joining with almost 100 other Americans in Prague for a very fun night. Such a beautiful and relaxed city provided us with a perfect end to our trip.