02.17.22
“What a long, strange trip it’s been,” or so said the Grateful Dead band, and that is what they titled their second compilation album in 1977. They may have been talking about another type of trip, but since it’s been three years since Katheen and I left our US homeland and have been on the road ever since, I thought a brief recap might be nice in case you’re new to Travel Younger.
We left Los Angeles airport Feb 17, 2019, and our plan was to travel the world, seek out Mediterranean temps, and stay in different locations for about six weeks at a time. We started in Valencia, Spain, and picked an amazing time to be there since one week after arrival they started their annual celebration called “Las Falles,” or The Fires. For thirty days fireworks went off every day and massive statues made of Styrofoam and wood were constructed on street corners. You can read about them here. (https://travelyounger.com/chapter-10-las-fallas-in-valencia-get-ready-for-the-chaos/) We had no idea how big this was, but over a million people come from all over the world to attend the event which concludes by, get this, burning all these magnificent structures on the last night. A-mazing! Aside from that, the city was beautiful and full of wonderful architecture and museums along with being a good hub to take a train somewhere else. I am happy to report that after a two year absence, Las Falles will return this year.
Our second leg was Tivoli, Italy, a small medieval town about 20 miles east of Rome. And full of history since it was 700 years OLDER than Rome, and our teensy apartment, which we called “The Cave,” was over 500 years old. The city has three major parks/ attractions and we visited them all, which you can read about here.
Since we pushed our 90-day EU visa to the max we had to leave the Schengen region, and so ferried to Croatia, which we knew little about before we got there. By now it was mid-May and summer was coming and we enjoyed our stay near Split, a major Croatian city. The food, the people, and the cost of living was very inviting, and after two motorcycle trips around the country, we proclaimed Croatia as being our “Favorite,” since everyone always asked which one was at the top. We used our six weeks there as best we could, and then it was time to hit the road again.
We had a Eurail pass to use so (foolishly) tried to cram as many trips in as possible over a 30-day period, but finally took a break after relocating about every three days. Romania was our respite and we loved it. We’re talking early August and the weather was magnificent, as was the geography. That got enhanced with a motorcycle trip which allowed us to ride some of the best roads I’ve ever ridden. Again, great food, nice people, and even cheaper than Croatia! Along with Romania we hit Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, so that was a busy, busy summer.
Since I had some business in the US shortly thereafter, I did that for six weeks while Kat went back to Croatia, which she got to know even better since she was right in Old Town. When I returned, we went to Sicily, Italy, and lived in Syracusa, a small southern city, and had a great time seeing other parts of Sicily, too. We had a bike for a month so took advantage of that and explored much of the island. Then it was off to Athens, Greece for just a few days, and we have committed to going back since it was much better than we expected—and had been told about. Such history! That short visit was enhanced by the islands of Naxos and Santorini, and even though it was around Christmas, the weather was mostly tolerable.
That brings us up to New Years, 2020, when our lives changed, as it did for many others, and I’ll cover that trip to Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and eventually, Mexico, in Part II.
Meanwhile, you can go to www.TravelYounger.com/blog, or purchase our two books called Traveling the World Six Weeks at a Time, volume I and II.
