Half Way Mark

Today, day sixty-one, officially marks the halfway point of our trip. Coincidentally, over breakfast this morning I told Travis I was ready to go home. Awkward.

Yes, homesickness is starting to set in and honestly it’s about time. However I find myself pining more for the convenience of a fridge, my own bathroom, a laundry machine, and some local Fresh is Best taco chips, more so than for family and friends. To any family and friends reading this, please don’t be offended, technology (ie. Facebook) does a great job of keeping me apprised of your every move to the point that I still feel in touch. Also, please do some more exciting things, your status updates are becoming a bit passe.

As we have officially survived two months of travel without running home, ending up in hospital, or killing each other (touch wood), we decided to celebrate and re-live some of our favorite moments thus far.

We failed to foresee any problems with catching a game on the night of our arrival in London – after a nine hour flight and significant time change. However Travis was able to fulfill a childhood dream, making it all worth while. And hey, the home team won!

There were plenty of amazing performances at the Reading Music Festival this year, however Of Monsters and Men blew us away, and has definitely taken over our iPods since. If you haven’t heard of them please go download their album right now – seriously, we’ll wait.

runner up – Florence + the Machine, playing in the pouring rain. It was worth getting completely drenched.

A bit surreal at times, it was difficult to grasp that I was actually standing on the Ancient Acropolis. After years spent daydreaming about getting there, I walked through in a bit of a fog, stopping every three feet to take another picture. Not until I was able to step back and see the site from afar did it start to sink in. I’ve been to the Acropolis.

In a surprise move, Nafplio stole top spot as our favorite place in Greece. Welcoming and quiet yet offering plenty to do, with amazing food and accommodations, we were sad to leave and only wish we lived closer to make weekend trips to this amazing city possible.

Our last day in Kotor it rained, and not just a little bit. I’ve honestly never heard thunder that loud, echoing off the stone fortifications it felt as though the storm was directly on top of us. Not to mention the rain, sheets of big fat raindrops puddling ankle deep on the cobblestone streets. The police shut down streets for fear of mudslides and the runoff left a lasting impression on the bay where the water level rose considerably.

Croatia has so much to offer and Travis and I agree that it deserves another visit in the future. In particular, we were blown away by the history in Dubrovnik and the chance to explore war torn Hotel Belvedere. It isn’t often that the opportunity presents itself to get off the beaten path in an area seemingly overrun with throngs of cruise ship passengers, however this is exactly what our trip to Hotel Belvedere offered, only fifteen minutes from the ancient walled city.

The perfect end to an amazing run in Croatia, Zagreb’s historic centre blew us away with pastel buildings and ornate architecture. Although one day allowed us to cover the highlights, it would be easy to spend two or three and the city has definitely become a must see for us in Croatia.

Thirty minutes into exploring this ancient religious site Travis and I looked at each other and whispered simultaneously “this is the most impressive building I have ever been in”. A seamless combination of red and white Moorish arches, Baroque, Gothic, and Renaissance Christian church, and thousands of years of history. Keep an eye out for our upcoming post.

Self explanatory to an extent, we have filled our bellies with some amazing meals in Europe thus far and only plan to continue that trend moving forward. Although top foodie award has to go to Travis, I’ve picked my fair share of great restaurants including a memorable Thai restaurant in Barcelona (who knew?). Absolute top meals to date include grilled squids in Kotor, Pasticada in Split, and Piri Piri chicken in Lisbon.