I'd started this post a month ago on my one year of traveling anniversary. Unfortunately I didn't exactly get around to finishing it for one reason or another. I'm currently in Zagora, Morocco where it is too hot to do anything at all, so I have no excuse not to finish it today :) The internet connection is not very good, so I will not be adding photos at this time.
Written 22/06/14
Exactly one year ago today I departed the United States to travel. The original plan had been to return around January. As January approached it was decided that I'd have to push that back and go home around April. As April approached it was once again determined that I couldn't stop traveling yet. There were still too many places to see and too many things to continue learning! I've had to extend my travel insurance twice, but it has definitely been worth it.
Since it was the official one year anniversary of my departure, I thought it would be fitting to cover some of the highlights so far.
10 Best Memories (in no particular order)
-Watching the metoer shower on the beach with a camp fire, wine, and great friends in Polis, Cyprus
-Trekking along the Great Wall of China on the perfect day with very few people around
-Eternal Flame on Mt. Olympos in Turkey
-Surprise snow storm on the way to the ice cave in Austria
-84 hour Trans-Siberian Railroad journey in 3rd class from Irkutsk to Moscow, Russia
-Meeting up with friends from home, work, and travels along the way (Hong Kong, Moscow, Prague, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus)
-Diving to the Cedar Pride Shipwreck off the coast of Aqaba, Jordan
-Helping prepare Miraculum wine for the Pope's visit to Israel
-Fireworks echoing off of the rocks in Meteora, Greece on New Years
-"Walking" through water in the Dead Sea
5 Worst/Saddest Memories (also in no particular order)
-Awkward squat toilets with no doors in Shanghai Railroad Station bathrooms
-Attempting to sleep outside of the Memmingen Airport in Germany (First use of emergency blanket!)
-Tea scam in Shanghai, China (Wasted $50, but discovered oolong tea)
-Learning that I do in fact like to eat goat in Athens, Greece
-Lost/Delayed Luggage between Israel and Morocco (21 days late!!)
How Holidays Were Spent
4th of July: Macau Tower Climb! Unfortunately we didn't get fireworks
Halloween: Almafi Coast with ghost cookies and nutella/banana sandwiches followed by dinner in Sorrento as Italian children went Trick or Treating through the town
Thanksgiving: Explored Dubrovnik. Hiked up the hill. When it was time for dinner we went to a restaurant that had turkey on the menu. Turns out turkey was only for lunch. The chef was incredible and went out of his way to prepare some for us and even included sweet potato puree!
Christmas Eve: Invited to a nice German style dinner at a friend's in Athens, Greece
Christmas Day: Lazy day spent relaxing. I read a huge chunk of East of Eden that day.
New Years Eve: Incredible echoes of fireworks off of the rocks in Meteora, Greece
New Years Day: Trekked through Meteora, visited monestaries, explored a cave, fell, had an amazing day
Groundhog Day: Noted that our favorite cat could see his shadow, so Phil probably would too, and went about our day planting lavender near Lake Burdur, Turkey
St. Patrick's Day: Picked up my new passport in Izmir and flew back to Konya which is unfortunately a very conservative, dry city. Nothing exciting that night.
My Birthday: Cappadocia! Entire blog about that place. It was great :)
Written 22/06/14
Exactly one year ago today I departed the United States to travel. The original plan had been to return around January. As January approached it was decided that I'd have to push that back and go home around April. As April approached it was once again determined that I couldn't stop traveling yet. There were still too many places to see and too many things to continue learning! I've had to extend my travel insurance twice, but it has definitely been worth it.
Since it was the official one year anniversary of my departure, I thought it would be fitting to cover some of the highlights so far.
10 Best Memories (in no particular order)
-Watching the metoer shower on the beach with a camp fire, wine, and great friends in Polis, Cyprus
-Trekking along the Great Wall of China on the perfect day with very few people around
-Eternal Flame on Mt. Olympos in Turkey
-Surprise snow storm on the way to the ice cave in Austria
-84 hour Trans-Siberian Railroad journey in 3rd class from Irkutsk to Moscow, Russia
-Meeting up with friends from home, work, and travels along the way (Hong Kong, Moscow, Prague, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus)
-Diving to the Cedar Pride Shipwreck off the coast of Aqaba, Jordan
-Helping prepare Miraculum wine for the Pope's visit to Israel
-Fireworks echoing off of the rocks in Meteora, Greece on New Years
-"Walking" through water in the Dead Sea
5 Worst/Saddest Memories (also in no particular order)
-Awkward squat toilets with no doors in Shanghai Railroad Station bathrooms
-Attempting to sleep outside of the Memmingen Airport in Germany (First use of emergency blanket!)
-Tea scam in Shanghai, China (Wasted $50, but discovered oolong tea)
-Learning that I do in fact like to eat goat in Athens, Greece
-Lost/Delayed Luggage between Israel and Morocco (21 days late!!)
How Holidays Were Spent
4th of July: Macau Tower Climb! Unfortunately we didn't get fireworks
Halloween: Almafi Coast with ghost cookies and nutella/banana sandwiches followed by dinner in Sorrento as Italian children went Trick or Treating through the town
Thanksgiving: Explored Dubrovnik. Hiked up the hill. When it was time for dinner we went to a restaurant that had turkey on the menu. Turns out turkey was only for lunch. The chef was incredible and went out of his way to prepare some for us and even included sweet potato puree!
Christmas Eve: Invited to a nice German style dinner at a friend's in Athens, Greece
Christmas Day: Lazy day spent relaxing. I read a huge chunk of East of Eden that day.
New Years Eve: Incredible echoes of fireworks off of the rocks in Meteora, Greece
New Years Day: Trekked through Meteora, visited monestaries, explored a cave, fell, had an amazing day
Groundhog Day: Noted that our favorite cat could see his shadow, so Phil probably would too, and went about our day planting lavender near Lake Burdur, Turkey
St. Patrick's Day: Picked up my new passport in Izmir and flew back to Konya which is unfortunately a very conservative, dry city. Nothing exciting that night.
My Birthday: Cappadocia! Entire blog about that place. It was great :)
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| Blue Lagoon near Polis, Cyprus |
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