As you may recall, I like to write stories now and again. However, many of my fiction projects have been put on the back burner due to an increased focus on a job I love, a diploma I’m pursuing, and a novel I’m publishing.
Happily, my predilection for writing extends to travel blogging, so there is an outlet available, as well as an efficient way to share my experiences with my friends, family, fans, and random strangers. So I present to you…
“Backpacking Through Europe: A 20-Something’s Dream Come True.”
Too bad I’m 32. Still, better late than never. I’ve no intention of becoming the next Rick Steeves, but you can still look forward to an anecdote, amateurish photograph or awe-inspiring snippet of history here on this blog as I travel.
~*~*~*The Itinerary*~*~*~
Disclaimer – Subject to change due to:
- Time constraints
- Budget constraints
- Whim
- Vancouver to Toronto. A bargain red-eye from one Greater Metro to another. Full day’s wait for flight #2 means stops at the Royal Ontario Museum and possibly the Hockey Hall of Fame (because Canada). Recommended lunch spot: Ramen joint.
- Tee-dot (do the kids still say that?) to Prague. This will be the longest flight I’ve ever experienced; I don’t expect to have fingernails by the time we land but I do hope to get some writing done! Barriers include: horrible tiredness, me being too chatty.
- Prague to Plzen. August is busy season for Prague, so I’m renting a car and getting the hell out of dodge. Stops include the world-famous Pilsner Urquell brewery and lots of bedrest to mitigate jetlag.
- Plzen to Brno. My plan is to enjoy the beautiful Bohemian / Moravian countryside, take some roadside photos, check out some castle ruins and maybe a creepy ossuary (I want to call it an ossoleum). In the environs of Brno is the Augustinian monastery where Gregor Mendel did his work on genetics.
- Brno to Bratislava. While I will be in-between several interesting festivals (notably the Coronation Ceremony), there is a Museum of Weapons and Fortifications where I can geek out.
- Bratislava to Martin. On the way I might visit the (ruined) castle where Elizabeth Bathory was imprisoned following her trial. Martin was the seat of Slovakian culture in the 19th century, and still contains the Slovak National Museum.
- Martin to Trstena and area. This is the region of Slovakia from which my patrilineage hails. Highlights include the Tatras Mountains, possible meet-ups with extended-extended family, and hikes to overrun graveyards.
- Trstena to Spisske Podhradie. I’m here to see the castle.
- Back to Prague. Returning to the Big City after the end of peak season to enjoy Art Nouveau, astronomical clocks, and really big bridges.
- Prague to Venice. Cheap European flight to Marco Polo airport, seabus to Venice, and Vivaldi in my head for two days straight. My hostel will likely be a converted grain warehouse. Highlights include sipping on a $12 coffee, enjoying a chamber orchestra in St. Mark’s Square while ankle-deep in water. I’ve been told the Doge’s Palace is quite the tour.
- Venice to Rome by train.
- Rome. Churches upon churches upon churches upon temples to Mithras. Evasive manoeuvres in the Colosseum / Pantheon area. Gazing upon the Vatican from afar.
- Rome to Florence. Galileo and Da Vinci worship. Wine tour. The countryside.
- Florence to Cinque Terre. Chillaxing and breathing in the Mediterranean (sorry Aunt Sue — no time for the Amalfi Coast, but the colourful seaside houses look great!)
- Cinque Terre to Milan. Relaxing and (if I haven’t done so already) some fine dining.
- Milan to Frankfurt (in Germany for two hours, wooo!) to home.
I fully expect to be derailed at some point, but I tend to look forward to the unexpected delights that flexibility can offer. In the end, I consider my travel goals to be fourfold (yes, it’s a word!):
- Experience the adventure
- Get in touch with my Slavic roots
- Research and inspiration for the Crystal series
- Learn me some history
Wish me luck, and please follow this blog if you’d like to experience my travels vicariously. Apologies for all the bullet points. When you work in an office long enough it’s a subconscious process.
–James Funfer
Have a blast, James!
Thank you, Lea! I am definitely having an incredible time.