Thomas The Traveler

I slept pretty well considering I was thinking a lot about today, but regardless I got up at 6 A.M.. After showering and getting ready, me and Marcel went to the grocery store to buy breakfast.

We made ham and cheese sandwiches, the cheese came in a tube which looked like a sausage but it was almost like a butter consistency. He drove me to the bus station, and after we said our see you laters it was time to wait for the bus.

It was emotional I’m not going to lie, because this very bus stop in Bratislava is where my adventure began.

Flying home was a long journey, but I had a chance to watch a few movies, and just not think to be honest. I’ll leave the thinking for when I come home, but for now I’m going to enjoy the moment of being back on home soil.

Once I got home, my dogs were so excited to see me, and didn’t leave my side the whole night. I felt so glad to be with them, and as I write this now at 10 P.M. Atlantic Standard Time, it’s all hitting me at once.

What started off as a hockey experience like no other developed into a memorable trip. Seeing Bratislava, Košice and Prešov meeting many new friends, to going to Bucharest to see the biggest parliament building in Europe. Exploring Novi Sad castle to experiencing the Nikola Tesla museum. A night in Paris to see the beautiful lit up Eiffel Tower, and a night in Rome to see the Colosseum and Vatican. To look at Venice from high above, below through the labyrinth streets and to become part of a family. Experiencing the crazy night life of Hamburg, and after all this going right back to the place it all began in Bratislava.

Thank you so much to everyone who has made this experience memorable, you’ve left an impression on my life one way or another. To all the ones who hosted me, to all the ones who showed me around, to all the new friends I’ve made along the way, thank you.

EuroTrip 2019 has come to a halt, but don’t think the wheels aren’t turning. I have so many ideas for trips, that it’s just the matter of going. One adventure ends, the next begins, and I’ll be looking forward to it each and everyday.

As always, more to come...

I had one of the best sleeps on this trip so far, but unfortunately today starts the end of EuroTrip 2019.

Waking up at 8:30 A.M. like usual, but just laying in bed thinking about today. I didn’t actually get up until 10:30 A.M. or so because I wanted to just savour this moment, being in Europe. After finally getting up, showering and getting some food into me, I tidied up around the apartment. I wanted it to look good for when Silja came back from work, because I appreciate all that both her and everyone on this trip has done for me.

I got packed up at noon, bought my pass for the subway station and I was off. I had to take some time to get myself calmed down though, as again this is going to be quite the emotional day for me.

Getting into the subway I tried my best to really remember each moment, each stop. Not because I don’t know where to go, but for memories. Osterstraße is where I get on, Jungfernstieg is when I get off, on the U 2 red line.

I met up with Silja by her workplace and gave her the keys, talked about her day and then gave her a hug. Trying to hold back the emotions was tough, but as I waved and walked away, I knew that it’s time to head home.

Walking around Jungfernstieg with the sun shining was so fitting too, because I’ve only had rainy days a couple of times this trip.

I figured since I had time, that I would go to Landungsbrücken which is the Harbour front. It’s one of the biggest places for transporting goods in Europe, with Hamburg being close to 100km from the sea. Anything exported or imported by boat comes through Hamburg, making it a huge tourist attraction.

Walking along the water, feeling the wind in my face and the smell of seafood made it feel like back home. Personally, this was the best way to cap off both Germany and this trip.

I ate some sushi at the airport which wasn’t too bad, then checked into my flight. I was still three hours early so I had some time to just edit some videos and relax a bit.

Guess what? My flight from Hamburg was delayed, surprise surprise. I really do not have any luck when it comes to traveling to or from Germany. I arrived in Vienna at 9:50 P.M. and just missed my bus, as by the time I got outside it was 10:02 P.M..

Needless to say, I have bad luck in Germany.

I bought a ticket for 11 P.M., so I had an hour to go buy some food and relax a little bit. Once I got on the bus, I felt more at ease and that I’d be meeting up with Marcel again and staying at his place. I was getting tired even after a nap on the plane, but it’d be better sleeping in a bed.

Marcel met me at the bus station and we took a cab to his place. He was telling me about his pub quiz and how his team didn’t end up last place. When we arrived he showed me my room and offered me food or something to drink. I gave him a small gift for his hospitality and also his new friendship with me, and he signed my flag. He is the last person to sign the flag for EuroTrip 2019.

Tomorrow’s the big day, gotta get ready for the long flight with a lot of time to think.

More to come...

Once we got home at 5 A.M., I went right to bed and was out like a light. When I woke up I was feeling okay, but then I stood up and it all went south.

Sitting on the couch drinking water all day, except for when I did the dishes from the house party last night. Silja came back around 3 P.M., and she took care of my hungover ass.

We started to watch some movies on Netflix until I felt better, but she fell asleep after the first one. She was tired too, we did lots of dancing last night so I am surprised I don’t have pulled muscles everywhere.

Stefan wanted to meet up for dinner, so at 8 P.M. we went to an Indian restaurant which was pretty good. I had butter chicken which was delicious, I miss having Indian food. We had a great time but saying goodbye to Stefan was tough, meeting cool new people and then leaving a few days later sucks.

Silja walked me to my train and from there I headed back by myself to her place. This night gives me time to really reflect on my trip, and how amazing it was and how honoured I am to have these great people in my life.

For the rest of the evening I just laid on the couch, and just thought about my trip. It has been such a crazy journey, and to be able to know everybody here and get to meet them in person was special.

Tomorrow I fly to Vienna at 7:50 P.M. and then will stay with my new friend Marcel in Bratislava, so I’ll probably just explore a little and drop off Silja’s keys before I leave.

More to come...

Last nights sleep was pretty restless, and I remember last looking at the time when it was 3:30 A.M.. I woke up close to 7 A.M., and was off and on for a few hours.

I got up and showered, and also caught up with social media while waiting for Silja. She brought back some traditional German goodies for breakfast, so I was excited to try them.

I had Mettbrötchen which was raw meat on a bun, a ham sandwich which is special breakfast here, and a cinnamon bun special from Hamburg.

We walked through Jungfernstieg which is a popular hangout spot along the water, with the beautiful fountain in the middle of the lake. From there we did a little walking, seeing Hamburg and exploring it together. Silja has only lived here a short time so we are both new to the city.

Along the way we saw a demonstration about a group protesting against the governments wishes to use farmlands for other uses. Europe has a lot more of these kinds of things compared to Canada.

We were going to go to the art museum, but for 14 euros no thank you, I’ll pass. On the way back to her place we walked through a Pride festival with lots of colourful people.

After a quick pit stop back at the apartment (or pee stop), we went out to a Vietnamese restaurant and had a nice meal. We had such a good talk for over an hour, talking about our lives and other aspects of life. It’s easy for us because we have video called a lot, so it’s easier for us in person.

We bought some drinks for tonight, because there will be a house party here.

Stefan showed up just after 9 pm and Silja’s friends Felix and Anika showed up at 10 pm. We played “never have I ever” and “two lies one truth”.

We went to St. Pauli which is the red light district of Hamburg. There you could find the smallest police station in Germany just for this area, many bars, clubs, sex shops and pretty much anything you desire.

We went to this first Irish bar which was called Drafthouse and had a drink there. From there we went to another called Safari, which was down a separate street with all these flashing lights; looked a lot like Vegas would to be honest.

After another drink or two we were dancing around, and at one point they were trying to do “the floss” so I had to show them how it was done. We got a group photo from the photographer at the bar which was really cool. We also made a beer tower with our glasses and coasters which was actually kind of impressive.

Along the way we went to a sex shop which was well, interesting. I guess whatever you’re into, it’s available somewhere!

My favourite one was “Thomas bar three level. Each level had something different; one had a bar where you could sit and drink, the next was a karaoke and live music level and then (my favourite) was the downstairs dance floor.

The music was so good, the crowd was exciting and Silja had to drag me away to go home. We had to leave at 4 A.M., and by the time we got to the apartment it was 5 A.M.; needless to say I was tired.

Tomorrow’s my last full day in Hamburg, and second last day on this amazing trip. I’ve met some amazing people, tried some amazing things, and it’s just been so cool. I really can’t wait for the next adventure!

Today was a tough day because I had to say see you later to Isabella and her parents. I felt like I have a home in Italy, in Venice, where my parents could feel safe with me being there. They fed me well, they learned a lot as I learned a lot as well, and made great memories. Her father showed me some pictures of the mountains near their house and it was so amazing. We left just before noon, so a hug, a group photo with my Canadian flag and a wave and we were away to the airport

We went to Mestre to get a drink first at a place called “Caffe Bido”, as Isabella got me espresso and a small cake. It was first time trying espresso and let’s say it was cool to try, but I don’t think I will actively look for this in Canada. It’s an Italian thing so hey, when in Italy.

We got to the airport an hour before my flight, and after a long hug and a wave, I was on my way; But it suddenly went full shit show. I had bought my ticket to Hamburg many weeks, so when I went to check in they said my ticket had been refunded because they didn’t get a payment. It sounded weird to me, so I went to the customer service desk. They told me I had to buy a new ticket, even when I got a confirmation number for the other.

Now I had to buy a ticket to fly to Prague, then from there to Hamburg so I’ll arrive 5 hours later at 9 P.M. instead of 4 P.M.. I’m not a happy camper, not flying with EasyJet ever again. Tami from Scotiabank said that she looked through my statements and I guess they refunded it that same day, back in April when I bought the ticket.

The lineup was confusing because there wasn’t any room for people to line up, so at first I was standing in a line going to Catalonia, but realized that the flight to Prague was a line beside it.

Landed in Prague at 5:20 P.M., and found a restaurant called “Pilsner Urquell” and decided to have a nice meal. I had chicken with potatoes and vegetables, something to treat myself for such a questionable day.

Once my boarding time came (and passed), I was still waiting in line for my plane. We never boarded until 8 P.M., and we took off at 8:30 P.M. meaning I’d be at least 30-40 minutes late.

I swear all of the karma is coming out on me today.

We landed at 9:30 P.M. so I tried to get off the plane as fast as possible, would I wouldn’t let me friend Silja wait any more longer than she already has. It was so nice to meet her in person and she wasn’t kidding when she said she was tall.

We met up with her boyfriend Stefan and went to a restaurant called Alex, which was a really cool spot. I had some pasta and we all just sat and talked about our cultures. Stefan moved from England to Germany half a year ago so it was neat to hear about his experiences so far.

After we were done, it was midnight so we walked back to Silja’s place to have some dessert. We ate some chocolates (with alcohol) and some Hamburg beer, a great way to end a stressful day.

Tomorrow there will be a house party, so this should be something interesting, plus I’ll get to see Hamburg.

More to come...

Today I slept in until 8:30 A.M., and then got up and ready for the day. I had some bread with cherry jam along with a banana, so I was eating pretty healthy.

We were trying to decide what to do today, but in the end we decided to go to a city called Padua (Padova in Italian). It is an older city with the 2nd Oldest university in Italy, which was very beautiful. To think this university is running since 1222, it is five times older than Canada which is crazy to me.

We went to see Saint Anthony church which was very nice, a church that has been running since 1382. Went for Bigoi Padova which is a traditional food in the north. It is like a short but thicker noodle, which I had beef and tomato sauce on top so I had to mix it.

We sat in Prato de Valle and ate the pasta, and just talked for a while, and getting Isabella to sign my flag. It’s been a project I’ve been working on, getting people around the world to sign it so it’s pretty cool for me. From there we walked around the city, even if it started to rain a little bit. We ate gelato in Piazza della erbe, and again sat and talked about life, the future, our past and much more. It’s been amazing to learn peoples stories in this trip, to get to know them better.

We met up with Ale at the station, but as we were walking I was told my friend from Poland going to Berlin to meet up with me on the 27th cancelled. Her schedule changed for school, so I was upset but nothing I could do.

We stopped in Piazza Cavour and Ale taught us about the Dungeons and Dragons dice, and have me two sets of them. It’s so great to be able to represent my friends hard work in my life, even if it’s just dice.

The train from Padua to Venezia Maestre was leaving at 8:47 P.M., so we had to make a mad dash for the train. It sucked to say see you later to Ale so fast, but for everything he’s done for me it’s been a honour to meet him in person. To get to meet him and Isabella in person, I felt like I grew so much closer to them than I ever would online and this feeling is amazing.

We missed the second last train home so we took a taxi and split the cost. We got home and Isabella’s parents asked if I was hungry, but when I said a little bit they ran to the kitchen. They cooked up some leftover peas and tuna from yesterday, and they kept offering food. Her parents are adorable, I love them so much and I’ve learned a few things in Italian:

Ciao - hello

Gratzie - thank you

Arrivederce - goodbye

Bueno - good

Bueno notte - good night

To Isabella and your family, this night was amazing because we all sat around the table and talked. Even when there were some language barriers, we could understand by body language and my small amount of French ability. You welcomed me into the home with open eyes, and for that I’ll be always forever grateful.

My final stop is Hamburg, and although it sucks it’s near the end, I do miss my dogs and my parents. Also, baseball season starts soon so I’m excited to play again!

More to come...

I set the alarm for 7:30 A.M. so I could be up and ready for the train ride today. I got showered and ready to check out, but finding my platform was another adventure.

After going in the wrong entrance, I had to run to the other end of the train station and then down to platform 5 on the far corner. I had trouble pulling up my ticket but I got to my booth five, seat twelve window seat.

I arrived at 11:50 A.M. and quickly jumped into my friends car. Isabella is my friend who I am staying with, and I had a chance to meet her parents. Her family is so lovely, they cooked me lunch which was so good! We had some risotto to start, followed by salad and then some oysters for final course along with wine.

We left for the city at close to 3:06 P.M., and arrived a half hour later, but the drive was so cool. We had to go across this long bridge in order to get to Venice, since it’s all on an island.

My friend Alessandro (Ale for short) was already at the station waiting for me and Isabella, and right away we went to the Terrace he booked. As we walked through the narrow maze-like streets, crossing over small bridges above the rivers, I was in awe.

Our reservation was at 4 P.M., and we got there ten minutes late; we only had five minutes to look out. It was such a stunning view of the city, seeing so many old historic buildings.

We crossed the oldest bridge in Venice called “Rialto Bridge”, walked along the Main Street (which was so busy), and saw Saint Mark’s square. In Italian it is called “Piazza San Marco” square especially was so huge, and just how people could have done this architecture so many years ago was truly brilliant.

Around the corner was the old parliament building back when Venice had control over more area. Beside this was the old jail, where they would make the prisoners walk across this bridge which was almost like death row for America.

Isabella works as a translator and she had to go work at 6 P.M., so me and Ale went for a walk around some other cool parts of Venice. We talked about beer, since he is a huge beer fan, so we were comparing alcohols from Europe and North America.

We stopped at this small restaurant and ate gelato and talked about Ale’s job. He is a co-owner if his custom made Dungeons and Dragons dice. He started at 17 to play DND, and after this he and his friend decided to make their own dice. He’s now grown his brand across Europe, going to many Comic cons along the way. I gave him a small gift from Canada; a couple of magnets, to show my appreciation for him coming one hour to meet me.

It was so nice to just walk around, talk about different things and listen as he was teaching me about Venice and some of it’s historical places. Some of the cool spots we checked out was High Water Library; which is the oldest bookstore in Venice.

Another building that shocked me was the hospital, as it was a huge white marble building, which it didn’t look like a normal hospital by any means. Along the water you could see the graveyard for Venice, which of course was on an island too.

It was so different seeing boat taxis, police boats, ambulance boats, boat gas stations; it was like I was in another world. He wanted me to try this dessert called Fornarina Veneziana, which was a specialty dessert. It was short lived though as I got mugged by a seagull only two bites in, I felt like calling the police but I feel like my case wouldn’t have been taken seriously.

We went our separate ways just after 8 P.M., as I was taking the train back to my stop called Maerne di Martellago. When I got back to Isabella’s place, I gave her some gifts from Canada. I brought some maple syrup, and two fridge magnets to add to her collection. Her parents made tuna with peas, and it was amazing; I can’t leave here now because of the food. For dessert I had a glass of champagne, a pear and a kiwi (first time eating one).

I spent probably close to three hours talking to Isabella’s parents and herself about Canada, and exchanging photos of our travels. I learned a lot today like Venice is amazing, home cooked meals here are to die for, and I have amazing friends.

More to come...

I woke up at 4:45 A.M. so I could quickly get up, brush my teeth and travel on to the next place. I am going to Rome today and my flight leaves at 7 A.M., so I needed to be there a early as possible.

It was a brisk 11° C outside while waiting for the shuttle bus, so when it was about ten minutes late I wasn’t exactly warm. I rushed through security and then had time to relax a little bit before the flight. We started boarding at 6:25 A.M. and left close to 7 A.M..

We landed in Rome at 8:50 A.M., I slept pretty much the whole flight like I wanted to. When I got off the plane I took my time getting to the train downtown. My hotel was right next to the station, and my check in wasn’t until 3 pm.

I bought a 24 hour pass on buses and trains, so I can see as much as I could in the less amount of time. When I got to the train, I forgot to validate it so I quickly jumped off the train to do so. I was lucky because it left just shortly after I jumped back on the train; very lucky.

Traveling to the city I noticed a lot of older run down houses and a lot of garbage on the side of the railway, but the same time it can’t be judged on a short impression.

When I got out of the train station (which was hectic), I went to my hotel to get checked in and have a shower. After feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day, I made up my game plan and drew it out:

San Martino ai Monti

Resti del Tempio di Iside

St. Clement Basilica

Colosseum

Arch di Constantino

Roman Forum

Altar of the Fatherland

Pantheon

Plaza Navona

Corte di Cassazione

Vatican City

Parliament Zolaza

Trevi fountain

Spanish steps

This was my starting plan so we will see where it leads me to.

Honestly there was so much to see in such a short time, as I walked the whole route. I always like to walk places so I can find hidden gems, and I think my list doubled because of it.

Places like the Colosseum and Roman Forum were filled with tourist, like most of the city to be completely fair. I loved the Colosseum because of how old it is, along with the “Altar of the Fatherland”. The architecture of some of these amazing buildings were mind blowing, I’m so glad to have stopped here.

The Pantheon was cool because it had a hole in the ceiling, so of course everyone was taking selfies and pictures of the ceiling. Okay maybe I did it once, but hey if everyone’s doing it. Besides the ceiling the rest of it was so beautiful, I keep using these words but there are no other words for it.

Piazza Navona was this huge area with a long stretch of beautiful stone building with beautiful columns and architecture, along with a fountain by the main doors. I love the white stone look, and it seems to be popular here.

After buying some souvenirs I went to Vatican City, and yes I’m counting it as a new country. The Saint Peter’s Square was so beautiful with two really beautiful fountains, and the Basilica itself was gorgeous. The paintings on the wall and the artifacts were impressive, how they could do this sort of thing back years and years ago. I also had a chance to check out the tombs of older popes which was neat, for someone who isn’t religious it was a cool experience.

I walked to Trevi Fountain, but first I stopped off at a restaurant called “Osteria” and got a salami pizza. Pizza here is so thin compared to North America, I guess that’s why we have an obese problem.

The Trevi Fountain was so beautiful, the white rocks with the aqua blue water was so beautiful. The sculptures had so much detail, and I think this is my favourite fountain of all time; and I love fountains.

The Spanish stairs were next, and man they sucked after eating pizza. It wasn’t awful bad, but it was a nice view at the top; the little things in life I guess!

I walked the 2.3 km walk back to the hotel, so by the time I arrived in my room it was 5 P.M.. I needed to sit and relax for a bit, because I have a few more places I want to go see.

At 7:30 P.M. I got adventurous and went back down to the Colosseum for one more walk, then got some chocolate gelato on the way back. It was no doubt the best ice cream/gelato I’ve ever had, and my cousin Darlene was right; a must get in Rome.

I did a livestream with some of my friends on Facebook just to reconnect a bit, and then after this I called my friend Silja from Hamburg. We will meet up for the final four days of my European adventures, so we were just planning our days together.

Overall, Rome was an amazing stop with lots of beautiful history, architecture and a lot of tourist. The only downfall I think was the amount of people trying to either scam you for money, or sell you things you don’t want. Besides that my experience was great, so with that it’s off to Venice to meet up with not one, but two friends!

More to come...

I woke up earlier than normal (4:30 A.M.) but fell back to sleep pretty quickly. The great sound of the alarm on my phone woke me up at 6:50 A.M., and I was ready to rock and roll today.

Me and Viktorija left at 8 A.M. and it was a sad goodbye, it was a nice time here in Serbia. She was right when it came to city traffic, as it took 30-35 minutes just to get to Denisa. Hurray for 8 A.M. city traffic; in the capital city no less.

We arrived at the airport in good time, but when we got there there was an issue; we were in different terminals. She is was the second terminal, and I was in the first, so we would only be able to be together before security.

After grabbing a sandwich and checking some stores in the main concourse, it was time to say our see you laters. It was an interesting experience traveling with someone internationally, but next time it’ll be a bit smoother. Overall the experience was nice, thank you Denisa for the fun times in Bucharest and Serbia, and thank you Viktorija for making the three days in Serbia great.

After editing two videos and countless amount of time sitting and walking (5 hour wait) I finally got checked into my flight and on the plane. We were supposed to take off at 3:25 P.M. but we never did until 3:50 P.M..

We landed at 5:50 P.M. which was actually pretty good time, considering we were delayed 25 minutes. The delay came when I went through border patrol, as it took almost 30 minutes to get through the border.

I got on the shuttle bus to my hotel, where I met a South Korean and a Norwegian girl who both studied in Kazakhstan, and now touring Europe. It was so nice to talk with them and get to know their story, and to of course show off my travel history.

The plan was to meet my friend Madeline near the Eiffel Tower, but because it was getting late I wanted to check into my hotel first. By the time I got into the hotel, I was already late so I decided to call a taxi.

The taxi driver was actually so cool, he was leaving in four days to go on vacation for ten days in Dubai. He was saying how he would be getting great service because he’s a new flyer with Emirates airline. He also was talking about a taxi protest today, and how there was a guy who climbed the Eiffel Tower.

I arrived at the restaurant called “Cafe Beaujolais” where she was waiting for me. We sat outside and just talked, getting to know each other in person. She was nervous to speak English at first but then she got used to it, and I could see the improvement.

We each had fish burger and fries, which was both so filling and so delicious. From there we went for a walk to find her parking garage, but behind us was the beautiful and iconic Eiffel Tower. I was shocked how big and beautiful it was, making the CN Tower look ugly.

We had to walk by it, and as we walked along the “Parc du Champ de Mars”, it was so funny seeing all the tourist. Paris is a city like New York where everyone dreams to go to, and although my dream is to travel the world, I felt the love here. We also got to see the “Wall of Peace” and the “Place Joffre”.

We tried to figure out my way back to the hotel, but it was a beautiful surprise to see what happened to the Tower. It started to sparkle as the clock struck 11 P.M., as it was truly magical.

After trying to find the bus stop, Madeline offered to drive me back because it was late and I might not get transit. It was a great drive though, she was a bit nervous because it was her second time driving in Paris, but I helped calm her down and we made it by 12:30 A.M..

Thank you Madeline for a magical night, although it was short the memories created will last a lifetime. Paris, thank you for showing a sneak peak of your love spell, because now I have to come back!

But for now, time to get 4 hours of sleep before the next flight; next stop, Rome!

More to come...

Being able to sleep in today was defiantly a great way of recharging the batteries, especially since yesterday was so warm. Today is supposed to be warm too, close to 22° C which would be double the temperature back home.

We waited for Denisa to come to the apartment, and from there we headed to the bus station. Our bus left around 12:30 P.M. and just like that, another day, another city.

We arrived in Belgrade at 1:30 P.M., as it was nice to stretch my legs and move around a bit. We checked into Denisa’s hostel and then dropped my bags off and then we were off.

We had Burek which was a pastry with meat in it, and it was yummy but so filling. I guess the one’s we had were considered small, which blew my mind because I was so full afterwards.

We walked the main boulevard called “Alexander boulevard” and went to the park called ‘kod Vuka’ park. It had a monument of the man who invented the Serbian language, and how each word has its own pronunciation.

From there we went to see the Temple of Saint Sava which was this huge church. I love going in these historical religious places not because I’m religious, but the history behind it all.

Not too far was “Slavija square” which was a roundabout with a big beautiful fountain in the middle of it. It is also the most busy place for cars and I guess not many people actually obey the rules. As long as they don’t hit another car they are good.

We arrived at the Tesla museum but the girls wanted to sit down and have something to drink first. We chilled for an hour or so, then headed to the museum, but the museum was so amazing.

Learning about the mind of Tesla and how advanced he was compared to others in his time. The way he could visually see his inventions and not even need to test them was so impressive. I had a chance to touch one of the lightning rods which was something to check off the bucket list.

We went to the Belgrade Fortress and saw a beautiful view of the city, but also saw so much lightning and heard thunder every five seconds. It was amazing! I miss seeing thunder so being in this I didn’t mind too much. It was neat to see the victory monument with the lightning in the background, as it really stood out.

The rain got worse though to the point where there was hail, and the wind gusting so strong that an umbrella started to fly around a bit outside the cafe. It felt like we were held hostage in some kind of movie. We finally decided to make a break for it, but where we originally entered it was about six inches of water. We had to use an alternative route which got us to the main street , but then it started to pour again.

After waiting to let the rain slow down, we ran to this restaurant called “Boutique” and split a large pizza between us. We got lucky and got a driver on the “CarGo” app which is similar to Uber in North America. We dropped off Denisa at her hostel and by the time we got back to Viktorija’s place in Belgrade, it was just past 10:30 P.M..

What a day, what an experience in Serbia, but tomorrow I must head to the next adventure; France!

I woke up at 5:30 A.M. (again) but I went right back to sleep until 9:30 A.M.; didn’t even hear Viktorija leave in the morning. She had a dentist appointment so it gave me time to sleep in and catch up with people back home.

Had a nice meal along the waterfront with a beautiful view of the water, which nickname was called “woman’s dream”. It was this long deep fried piece of rolled up mince meat in the shape of a... male reproductive organ.

We tried to get on the boating docks but it was members only, so we decided to walk towards the beach. It was really warm, but I enjoyed the walk and to see some cool places. One of them was a boat building place and another was the military base in Novi Sad.

We went to the beach which was a nice walk, but very hot out. I think it was close to 25° C, but I didn’t mind so much; better than Nova Scotian weather. We just sat for a while and just enjoyed the nice weather and talked about different things.

Because the boat restaurant was so far away (and we were tired) we got a taxi which drove us there. It was a nice view of the fortress on the other side of the river, and the nice breeze kept us cool.

When we got to the boat it was so beautiful, as it had a huge lounge area with an added on platform that you can sit on the water. The boat was originally used for transporting heavy goods from Novi Sad to Belgrade, but it sank in Belgrade. They then brought it back from the bottom of the river and made it into a restaurant in Novi Sad.

After relaxing and looking at the beautiful view for an hour or so before walking towards the city centre, where we would separate. Me and Denisa went downtown while Viktorija went back to her place to relax for a bit.

We walked around the city centre for a bit, we decided to eat at this place called “Pararotti Pizza and Grill. We both got this thing called “Pljeskavica” which was like a kebab burger. The food was okay, but the restaurant service wasn’t great.

We filled up Denisa’s water bottle and then we went back to our separate ways. I got back and watched a movie made in Serbia called “Parade” which is about the first gay parade. It’s so unfortunate that even today gay people can get beat up and have brutal things done to them in today’s society. In Serbia gay marriage is not accepted, so I couldn’t imagine what these people go through daily.

Tomorrow is our trip to Belgrade, and then Monday I’m off to Paris so lots of excitement coming up!

More to come...

After setting three alarms to wake up before 4:20 A.M., I woke up on the first one. I did doze off a little bit, but I woke up to a notification that Boston Bruins scores a goal. They won 4-0 and also won the series 4-0 as well, moving to the finals versus San Jose Sharks or St. Louis Blues.

We got on the plane at close to 8 A.M., and it was one of the smallest planes I’ve been on. It was only 13 rows, 52 seats which seemed like it was more of a bus than a plane. I slept through most of the flight so I felt a bit better, but I could sleep for 4 more hours.

When we went to go rent the car, it was a total nightmare. They were asking for a 700 EURO deposit on top of the other charges, coming to 830 Euro (1250 Canadian). That was a hard pass, thanks though! We decided to just get the bus into the central bus station and meet up with Viktorija there.

Once we arrived to Belgrade we actually missed the stop, so we got out in the middle of the traffic jam to walk back. We needed to use the washroom, but the area where pointing us to defiantly looked like something from a movie. There was a railway station but it looked abandoned, and the washroom was a war zone.

We did eventually find Viktorija and got some money exchanged and bought bus tickets to Novi Sad. It was nice to finally get on the road and drop my things off at her place.

After I dropped off my bags, we sat in Viktorija’s apartment and just talked for a bit, since we had to kill some time before Denisa could check into her hostel. She was staying right next to the Novi Sad fortress so it worked out very well.

The fortress is a huge structure which was built many years ago, with many catacombs below the fortress floors. There is a huge clock facing the river which has reverse hand lengths so that the sailors can tell time easier.

We went to the restaurant on the fortress and we all had a nice traditional Serbian meal. We also drank Rakija which is a traditional brandy, with different kinds of flavours. Ours was dunja flavour which is similar to a watermelon, and of course it was strong so it hurts your throat and face. Classic alcohol and its ability to do such things.

My meal was chicken with mushroom and melted cheese on it, which was actually really good. After stuffing my belly with yummy food, we went to the Museum of Novi Sad. It was a beautiful exhibit showing the past history of the city and explained a little bit about past wars. Serbia seems to be a country who has been in many wars, so to hear how resilient the people are with tough times is really cool; similar to when I went to the Romanian museum.

As we walked around the outside walls of the fortress, Viktorija pointed out this huge white bridge called “Zezeljev bridge”. It was damaged in 1999 by the Americans, but then after some years of preparing to fix it, they rebuilt it by floating the bridge down the river.

From there we went down to the city centre, in which we saw city hall which was a huge beautiful building which had this old stone look to it. Everything here in Serbia has such an aged look to it which makes it unique.

After walking around a little bit we decided to check out this Irish pub called “Irish Pub Red Cow”. I had their red cow burger which was really good and really big, about the size from wrist to fingertips.

The girls didn’t eat there but got some ice cream from the oldest ice cream shop in Novi Sad. I was too full so I didn’t eat there, but I’ll try tomorrow.

We went our separate ways as I went back with Viktorija to her place and Denisa to her hostel. The rest of the night included watching Serbian and Russian singers on youtube, learning how to properly Slav Squat like a true Slav and having many laughs. Especially trying to do an English test with three hours of sleep; not a good recipe.

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster of a ride today, but it happens during the time of travel. Serbia has been a whole new experience and I’m excited to see what it brings!

More to come...

After sleeping in until 10 A.M., I felt like I slept all day in comparison to the first week of my trip. I checked into the flight for tomorrow, since we have to wake up super early tomorrow.

I arrived at the dorm around 11:30 A.M. and we were off on another adventure.

I wanted to pick up a couple souvenirs to add to the already big collection, and also got a chance to see the university Denisa goes to. We ate at a place which sold traditional pastries, so I had one with cheese filling in it. Of course I’m not going to lose 10 pounds this trip if I keep trying these delicious traditional foods!

We decided to go to the Museum of Romanian History, as it had an exhibit on the 100th year anniversary of the country. They had a part where it explained how the Romans tried to take over the land, but the Dacians were very resilient. To learn about the resilience of the people here as far back as Roman times, it was truly inspiring to see that whatever is thrown in peoples way, they will persevere. They had different jewelry from back in the 2nd and 3rd century, many old rocks with different pictures and carvings, which was amazing how they were even built!

From here we headed back to her apartment because were tired and also have an early morning tomorrow. She got me to try some of her parents homemade soup and also some spaghetti she got from home. The food here is so good, if I lived here I’d be about 500 pounds no doubt. We watched some YouTube videos for a few hours then I had to leave around 9 P.M.. We have to wake up at 4:30 A.M., meet near her place then try and catch the bus to the airport.

Bucharest, you’ve opened my eyes to a whole new culture, a whole new world, and I’m glad I made the decision to come here. People warned me about coming here, saying it’s “unsafe and dangerous”, but in the city I felt normal.

The beautiful architecture, parks, people, everything is just so cool here and hard to describe in words. Now it’s time to start a new adventure with my friend to Serbia, so it will be another chapter in this crazy book I’m writing called life.

More to come...

I didn’t fall asleep until after 3 A.M. last night, but it was a bonus to sleep in until 8:30 A.M.. I didn’t get up until 10 A.M., so I just relaxed a bit and caught up with some people back home and in Europe.

Me and Denisa were going to go to a few parks today and check them out, and even some museums as well. I love going to historical museums in other countries to see their perspective of history.

We met up around 11:30 A.M. and had some breakfast in her dorm at the university she studies at. We had salami and cheese on bread and some boiled eggs as well. I also tried Chec which was a certain kind of breed. She got me a gift from Romania which was so sweet, she gave me a flag, some playing cards with landmarks on them, two little books about the history of places in Romania, three fridge magnets and Romanian soap made here. She also gave me some coasters with castles on them, since castles are famous here, and also two post cards. It was such a nice gift, all in a traditional pattern bag, all of it so sweet.

After laying around talking for an hour or so, we went to Herastrau park which was this huge nature park with lots of different paths. When we arrived at the entrance, there was a group trying to take pictures of everyone. Denisa noticed they were speaking English, so I was already intrigued. They tried to take a selfie, but I walked over and asked if they wanted a picture taken of everyone. The man was shocked and then said yes, and asked me where I was from. When I said Canada they also said they were a group from Toronto called Muskoka Woods.

After explaining our trip plans, one of the girls said they were coming to Nova Scotia. I said If she was in the area to give me a message, so I got her number too. I know, I’m smooth.

Walking through the park, exchanging travel experiences with Denisa was so nice. I’m so lucky to know her here in Bucharest, because without her I’d be so lost.

Once we got back towards the main part of the city, we went to a store called “Jumbo”. It’s name was not a lie, as it was this huge two level department store which alone took almost an hour to walk through. Each department store here is three times the Canadian Tire store I work at, I can just imagine their warehouse size.

We found an “Auchan” (where I tried traditional food), an continued my adventures of Romanian food. First was “orez cu legume” which is rice with mushroom and carrot, “Salata de boeuf” is potato salad, “Cartofi rasi cu ceapa” is like a hash brown. “Chattels” was my favourite, which is a Romanian meatball.

After over eating, we went to Cișmigiu Park, which again was a beautiful park. Across from it was the very old building called “Archives of the state”, the architecture is so cool here. The park had this huge four faced clock and looking from the road, you could see a column of beautiful flowers in between the wooded areas.

There was a nice river there where you could go canoeing, and some really nice green covered walkways. At this point we were getting sore, so it was time to head back to our part of the city.

Denisa wanted to go see Parcul Church, which is yet another beautiful landmark, but ran into Biserica Alba (white church). The final stop was back near the first park, as we wanted to go see “Arcul de Triumf” which was a huge archway. It was meant as a peace symbol, similar to the one in Paris, France. One thing I noticed (well noticed the first ten minutes in Bucharest) is that people are aggressive drivers. They were whipping around the roundabout circling the arch, and honking their horns every minute or less.

By the time we both got back to our places it was just after 10 P.M., so after a quick video call back home it was time to relax.

More to come...

As I said goodnight to Matûś and Kristína just after 11 P.M., we figured out that we would go to the bus station for 6:45 A.M. tomorrow. As I laid on my bed, my mind couldn’t settle down and at one point I just sat on the floor, staring at the wall. A few tears started to fall down my cheek, but I wasn’t particular sad.

When meeting people for the first time after knowing them for so long online, its a bonding experience meeting in real life. It’s that next step from being “online friends” to “real life fiends”. Going to cafes or sitting at home just talking, getting to know the true person in person is something magical, something special. Meeting new friends along the journey is beautiful too, along with experiencing new events makes you wish it will never end. It’s always tough to say “see you later”, and I’ve said this to every person I’ve met on my travels.

“Goodbye sounds like it’s the ending, but see you later promises I’ll be back”.

For each person I’ve met I’ve said that after spending time with each other, once we go back to reality it’s a challenge. You are living on this high of being with this new person and spending days with them, and all of a sudden they are not there. To get through this, it’s best to prepare for this lull and to find something to look forward to each day.

Writing this at 1:30 A.M. means that I won’t get too much sleep tonight, but this is part of traveling. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, there will be emotional times when going to the next stop. But the key part of this is “to the next stop”, there will be someone just as excited to meet up. It’s a quick turnaround from “see you later” to “nice to meet you”, but it’s the ups and downs of traveling.

To everyone who I’ve met over the past few days, it’s been an honour, and I can’t wait for the next adventure we have together.

Kristina and I left this morning at 6:20 A.M., and after a brisk speed walk to the bus stop, we were on the way. I got to the bus early and after giving each other a hug, it was time to head to Vienna.

Getting to the airport at 7:30 A.M., I had plenty of time to kill since my flight to Bucharest wasn’t until 10:10 A.M.. After getting a croissant from a bakery in the airport, I sat at the gate and waited. It was weird because normally you would go through security first then go to your gate, but in Vienna it was opposite.

We landed at 12:50 P.M., a few minutes late but by the time we got off the plane it was closer to 1:10 P.M. It was a bit wet outside, so I was glad to be going straight to a bus.

I had to wait for the 780 bus that would take me right to the train station, but it was almost 2 P.M. before it even arrived. I was meeting up with my friend Denisa who would be my tour guide for the next few days, and her classes were finished at 2 P.M.. There were no good wifi connections so I had to text message her saying I’m just leaving now.

I made it to the north station by 2:45 P.M., and met with Denisa at 3:10 P.M.. It was so great to finally meet her, we’ve been talking a lot for a year now. We walked around for a little bit, trying to figure out where my hotel was but eventually we found it.

From there we went to one of the bigger shopping malls to get traditional Romanian food. The mall we went to was called “AFI Palace” and it was the most impressive mall I’ve seen. They had two levels but the mall was humongous, and it even had a small roller coaster and a NHL size rink inside.

We went to this grocery store which sold some traditional Romanian foods, so of course I had to try them. We got some rice which had fish and some veggies in it, “Sarmale” which was mince meat with spices in a cabbage leaf, then also tried “Mămăligă”. It is made from boiled cornmeal, which was very thick and filling, each dish was so good. To wash it down, I had some Romanian cider called “Dacíc”, which we had blackberry and strawberry.

We walked around the grocery store drinking these which was normal here, but back home you’d get kicked out immediately. After exploring inside the mall, we took our adventure outside and around Bucharest.

The main thing I wanted to see was the parliament building, which is the biggest in Europe and second in the world (pentagon in USA). It was such a beautiful building with the communist architecture to it, but all the buildings surrounded it did too.

Across the street was the “Piata Constitutiei” or constitutional square, with the Minister of Justice across the street. Seeing this amazing buildings was just eye opening, I never realized this about Romania.

We found our way to Old town, which like most Old Towns they have cobblestone roads and just foot traffic. We saw the “Palatul Cec” which is headquarters of CEC banning, National bank of Romania

and “Banca Comercială Română”. There was also the “Stavropoleos Monastery” which was a Eastern Orthodox monastery for nuns in central Bucharest.

After exploring this part of the city, we were both hungry so we went to a different grocery store the size of 3 Walmart’s and bought more traditional foods. We also bought European chocolate because why not?

We bought a thing called “Pui A La Basque”, which was chicken with different veggies in it like cabbage, tomato and onion. For dessert we bought the most famous dessert called “Savarina”, which was a small palm-sized moist cake with whipped cream and strawberry jam on top. It was sooooooo good!

I walked Denisa back to her dorm apartment just down the road, and after getting back at midnight it was time to have some downtime.

Day one in Romania, check.

P.s. 89.6% of Romanian women are super attractive, may find my future wife here.

More to come...

Finally, after four nights in Europe I’ve had a good sleep. Again, I was awake until 2 A.M. but sleeping in until 10 A.M. was a bonus.

After showering and getting ready for the day, I traveled into the city to meet up with Kristína for dinner. Her workplace was the final stop for the bus, so it wasn’t so difficult for me to find.

We went to this Soviet style restaurant called “KGB Bar and restaurant” which looked like you were in some kind of dungeon, with all kinds of communist symbolism. We both had chicken soup for the first course, then for second course she had chicken and fries and I had schnitzel with friends. It was such a huge portion, but she guilted me into finishing most of it.

After she went back to work, I decided to walk around Bratislava again. Walking by the “Grassalkovich Palace, home of the president of Slovakia. It was a beautiful landmark, with a huge fountain and many little bushes around it. I revisited old town and some other places from yesterday, and even finding some new little gems like the “Kostol Nanebovzatia Panny Márie” which is a beautiful church downtown.

By the time I was done adventuring and waiting for her to finish work at 3 P.M., I found a bench and sat down, reflecting on the trip that has been so far. Once we met up again, we wen straight for the Bratislava Castle; something that was a bucket list on this trip.

It was quite the hike to get up to the castle, and when I thought we were there Kristína said it was only the outside walls of the castle property. Once we got on top of the hill and by the castle, it was a gorgeous sight. You could see all of Bratislava from up there, the river that goes between the city and even the border of Austria (which is only a 5-10 minute drive).

On the way back we checked out the Bratislava city walls, which was a preserved wall from back in early history. We went to a place called “Urban House”, which was a nice little hipster cafe. Me and Kristína had a great talk, it’s nice to spend as much time as possible with people on trips like this, because time is so short for me in each place.

She had French lessons at 5:30 P.M., but was a half hour late so I went back to the apartment to meet up with Matûś, so we could buy ingredients for a clubhouse sandwich.

I promised that I would make them this sandwich before I came here, so it was time to do it tonight. We went to the store and bought the ingredients, and once we got back home it was a team effort to cook it before she got home.

The general consensus was that they liked it, and now I am hired as their personal chef; sorry mom and dad, not coming home now!

We were lucky to watch Slovakia versus Canada on tv, and I was actually cheering for Slovakia to win. It was 2-0 and then 4-2 for Slovakia, but Canada scored three straight in the second to be up by one. Slovakia came back with the tying goal in the third period, and had the go ahead goal disallowed. Canada would break the nations hearts by scoring with one second left in the game, winning 6-5.

Matûś and Kristína were so sad because of how it ended, along with my new friends on this trip. Guess I’ll be sleeping on the streets tonight!

Tomorrow I leave for Romania, and man the feels are starting to kick in. Slovakia has been such an amazing start to this trip, the hockey was great, the people I met were great, the new friends I made were great. Hopefully Romania keeps this train rolling, but for now it’s time to get some sleep.

More to come...

At this point it’s like clockwork where I’ll wake up at 5:30 A.M., then again at 8:30 A.M.. Everyone else got up just before 10 A.M., and Matûś made scrambled eggs with onion and sausage.

We sat around and just hung out for an hour, talking about whatever came to mind which is great to get to know each other better.

After catching the number 80 bus to one stop, it was on to the 207 right straight to the hockey arena. I got in right on time, and the atmosphere was the best one yet. The Russian and Austrian fans were so into it, and there were chants throughout the whole game.

Russia scored once in the first period on a powerplay, which at that point Austria was playing pretty well. Although Russia had more shots, it was 1-0 after one period. Russia then scored two more goals within a minute to make it 3-0 and what looks like a runaway in the making. Russia scored two more in the third, making it a 5-0 final. As the game went on, Austria faded which was to be expected against the powerhouse Russians.

In between games I got Klobasa which was a huge sausage with bread and mustard, which was a nice snack. As I was eating, I saw behind the stadium team Sweden and Italy were kicking the soccer ball around. I could recognize a few Swedish players, but it’s different without their jerseys on.

Sweden controlled the play in the first period, outshooting them 17-4 but were only up 1-0 after one. Sweden scored on the powerplay to make it 2-0, as they pretty much took over the game, winning 8-0. The shots were 57-12, and Forward Anton Lander had three goals on three shots.

The Latvia versus Switzerland game was the one I was looking forward to the most, and it did not disappoint. I’ve watched Latvia play on tv and they have such a great crowd, playing drums, singing and chanting.

I started to talk with a guy beside me who was from Latvia but has lived most of his life in Ireland. His name was Kris, and he works as an accountant but traveled here with his dad to see the weekend games.

The game was scoreless after one period, with a few chances from both teams. Switzerland took the 1-0 lead midway through the second, but only 31 seconds later Latvia scored on the power play to tie the game.

With the momentum swinging back and forth, like the cheers of the crowd, it ended up being Switzerland getting the last laugh. They score with 3 minutes left in the game, and sealed it with an empty netter, winning 3-1.

It was so great to meet Kris, and then on the way home I met an Italian man from Milan who loves hockey. He said he stays awake until 1 A.M. to watch “Hockey Night in Canada” which is amazing in my mind.

I got back to the apartment at 11:30 P.M., almost twelve hours from when I left this morning. After having a nice call for my parents to wish them a happy Mother’s Day, it was time for bed.

More to come...