{"id":675,"date":"2016-08-09T22:38:08","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T05:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/?p=675"},"modified":"2016-08-09T22:38:08","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T05:38:08","slug":"backburners-and-backpacking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/?p=675","title":{"rendered":"Backburners and Backpacking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-676\" src=\"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Spis2.jpg\" alt=\"Spis2\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Spis2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Spis2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you may recall, I like to write <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Crystal-Promise-Shattered-Book-ebook\/dp\/B008QFQ3FW\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1470282575&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=james+funfer+crystal+promise\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stories<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wattpad.com\/story\/32765122-doom%27s-daughter\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">now and again<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 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\u2019m pursuing, and a novel I\u2019m publishing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBackpacking Through Europe: A 20-Something\u2019s Dream Come True.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Too bad I\u2019m 32. Still, better late than never. I\u2019ve 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">~*~*~*The Itinerary*~*~*~<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disclaimer &#8211; Subject to change due to:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time constraints<\/span><\/i><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Budget constraints<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jv2Hu4pHAFc\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crisis Alerts<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whim<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vancouver to Toronto. A bargain red-eye from one Greater Metro to another. Full day\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tee-dot (do the kids still say that?) to Prague. This will be the longest flight I\u2019ve ever experienced; I don\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prague to Plzen. August is busy season for Prague, so I\u2019m 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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sedlec_Ossuary\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ossuary<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (I want to call it an ossoleum). In the environs of Brno is the Augustinian monastery where Gregor Mendel did his work on genetics.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trstena to Spisske Podhradie. I\u2019m here to see the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spi%C5%A1_Castle\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">castle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back to Prague. Returning to the Big City after the end of peak season to enjoy Art Nouveau, astronomical clocks, and really big bridges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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\u2019s Square while ankle-deep in water. I\u2019ve been told the Doge\u2019s Palace is quite the tour.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Venice to Rome by train.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rome. Churches upon churches upon churches upon temples to Mithras. Evasive manoeuvres in the Colosseum \/ Pantheon area. Gazing upon the Vatican from afar.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rome to Florence. Galileo and Da Vinci worship. Wine tour. The countryside.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Florence to Cinque Terre. Chillaxing and breathing in the Mediterranean (sorry Aunt Sue &#8212; no time for the Amalfi Coast, but the colourful seaside houses look great!)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cinque Terre to Milan. Relaxing and (if I haven\u2019t done so already) some fine dining.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milan to Frankfurt (in Germany for two hours, wooo!) to home.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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\u2019s a word!):<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experience the adventure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get in touch with my Slavic roots<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research and inspiration for the Crystal series<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn me some history<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wish me luck, and please follow this blog if you\u2019d like to experience my travels vicariously. Apologies for all the bullet points. When you work in an office long enough it\u2019s a subconscious process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;James Funfer<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; 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\u2019m pursuing, and a novel I\u2019m publishing. Happily, my predilection for writing extends to travel blogging, so [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[58,57,59,56,55,54],"class_list":["post-675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-blogging","tag-czech-republic","tag-history","tag-italy","tag-slovakia","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=675"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":681,"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675\/revisions\/681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamesfunfer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}