25 days with Jeremy, and slightly less with Susan, and Barry

So this trip was long in the planning and hard to believe its over already. Arriving in Trento on the 26^th June seems like months ago. The image below shows the general route we did (I started in Venice, Jeremy started in Milan, and we met up in Trento. Barry started in Bergamo and met us in Bressanone, and Susan started in Vienna, meeting us in Nuremberg)

Highlights and/or memorable moments:

• Meeting Jeremy at the Airbnb knowing we had both made it!
• Walking up the hills with luggage in stinking hot weather to find our first Airbnb
• Getting totally drenched on our very first hike and arriving back to our place, via a subway filled with the dodgiest ‘druggies’ we saw on the whole trip, like drowned rats, to our Airbnb
• Leaving some of Jeremy’s honey he got from a Chinese person who couldn’t take it home, at each Airbnb to say thankyou (we ran out so only the first few were lucky enough to get some).
• Meeting Davida and Giu in Trento, for a huge pizza each, the first of many, and asking for Aqua Frizzante for the first time.
• Stumbling upon a saint’s day celebration and watching the joyous crowds and street bands on a warm and balmy evening.
• Taking half an hour to find the handbrake and work out how to use it before we could drive off in the hired car.
• Hair raising travel in the jeep along the very windy, very high (as in 1000m sheer drop) narrow switchback Italian roads through the Dolomites.
• Spectacular Dolomites views at every turn for weeks
• The mountain hikes, mountain bikes, and via Ferrata over several mountains, dolomites, and river tracks
• ELECTRIC bikes. What a lot of fun to be had on electric bikes!
• Spectacular, absolutely mind boggling, almost overwhelmingly beautiful views
• Gelato gelato gelato and good coffee in Italy
• The Airbnb in Moena
• The Airbnb in Como
• The hotel in Innsbruck and the best breakfast we had ever seen
• The gorgeous wee towns of Moena, Bressanone, Annecy and Chamonix
• Barry arriving
• Susan arriving
• The fireworks on Bastille Day in Annecy
• Getting from Heidelberg to Annecy on a non-ticket, and having Susan explain and receive a valid stamp and then a nod from the conductor so that we didn’t have to buy a replacement then claim for the ticket that didn’t turn up like it was meant to.
• Being literally a stone’s throw from Mont Blanc!
• Sunshine, sunflowers, and pretty shops
• Having Susan to shop with
• Seeing family on video messaging so it always feels like we are close to home!
• Reaching the end of the trip safely and without any illness or injury (touch wood).

I think I could add much to this list but this is a good start. For Jeremy, Barry, and Susan, if you read this and want to add to it, message me and I will add.

Barry and I are off to Rome and then will head to Barcelona. We also plan to visit my lovely penfriend in Finland and see their beautiful country in the Summer.

And then its back to work, earning some money and studies!

Ciao