It’s been exactly one year since Robert and I took off for 3 months of backpacking in Europe.
We’d been saving up for a year and a half for this, our first proper backpacking trip. We quit our swanky city jobs, moved our shit out of our Sydney apartment, and left behind all our family and friends to pursue a White Christmas.
As we landed in Moscow, we got a tad over-excited as our plane descended into falling snow. 13 weeks of fast-paced travel later we felt battered and exhausted, but as our trip came to an end in Paris we proudly ticked this long-term goal off our to-do list.
To sum up the entire trip in a (reasonably) short post, here’s one photo for each of the 31 destinations we visited!
1. Moscow Russia
2. St Petersburg, Russia
3. Kiev, Ukraine
4. Chernobyl, Ukraine
5. Warsaw, Poland
6. Kraków, Poland
7. Auschwitz, Poland
8. Wroclaw, Poland
9. Berlin, Germany
10. Prague, Czech Republic
11. Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
12. Bratislava, Slovakia
13. Budapest, Hungary
14. Vienna, Austria
15. Ljubljana, Slovenia
16. Lake Bled, Slovenia
17. Salzburg, Austria
18. Hallstatt, Austria
19. Innsbruck, Austria
20. Zurich, Switzerland
21. Lucerne, Switzerland
22. Munich, Germany
23. Bavarian Countryside, Germany
24. Nuremberg, Germany
25. Heidelberg, Germany
26. Cologne, Germany
27. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
28. Bruges, Belgium
29. Brussels, Belgium
30. London, UK
31. Paris, France
that was quite a journey indeed!
It was full on, and looking back now we probably tried to fit too much into our itinerary! But it was a lot of fun and an amazing experience 😀
Wow you visited a lot of places! and it looks like you got the snow you were after 🙂 I really want to visit Bruges, and that bone chapel in Kutna Hora looks fascinating. How did you do that map with your route on it by the way? Is it a plugin? It works so well when writing a post that features a trip to various different destinations 🙂
We actually were hoping for snow most of the time but we only got 2 weeks in Russia and Ukraine, then it didn’t snow again until late January in Munich, and even that was only for a few days!
I use Google Maps to map out trips – I’ve written a step by step tutorial in my planning guide section if you’re interested 🙂
So many gorgeous photos and locations! The shot of Lake Bled is stunning, I’d love to go there one day!
Oh Lake Bled was incredible! The township was fairly touristy, but the lake was just so beautiful it was easy too see why people flocked there!
What an incredible journey!! Looks like you had an experience of a life time. Thanks for sharing all your beautiful photos 🙂
It certainly was an unforgettable experience, so much so that I’m writing a blog about it 😉 Thanks Eden!
wow!!! You’ve guys have seen a lot and even have been in my town – Kiev(visit it in spring without the political unrest and you will fall in love with it)!! You are just awesome and doing amazing things!!! Pictures are stunning!!
Good luck in future trips!
Olga
http://feelthetraveling.blogspot.com
We loved Kiev! The protest made it an interesting experience, but the city behind it was wonderful. We really enjoyed the snow, but I’m sure it would be stunning in spring too. Thanks Olga!
We are living in Europe (Amsterdam) but haven’t traveled around much since we’ve been here. This gives me so much wanderlust!! Thank you for reminding us why we moved here in the first place!!
Jessica from http://www.awanderlustforlife.com
Wow this trip looks incredible! This post is inspiring me to book an interrail ticket asap! I live in Berlin now so have no excuse not to travel around Europe 🙂
Steph xx
http://cocktailsandcamels.wordpress.com
Berlin is the perfect city to use as a hub for travel around Europe! You should definitely book yourself a ticket Steph 😉
My goodness, it looks like you’ve been everywhere in Europe! I love all the photos…I’d love to see all those places in person .
http://itsjpei.wordpress.com/
It’s strange but I’ve spent a total of almost 4 months in Europe on two different trips, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I can’t even count the number of times people asked us “Are you going to see so-and-so while you’re in Europe?” and we weren’t going. I’ll definitely need a good while longer there. You should definitely check them out sometime Jessica!
Sounds like a perfect experience full of cultural exposure and fun! Thanks for sharing!
It really was, we experienced such a wide range of cultures in one trip! Thanks Sanjana 😀
Your pictures are so stunning! I just pinned it so that I can plan my next European adventure!