One of the best policies that my company offers is a 3-month paid sabbatical on completing 10 years. I had toyed with many ideas on how to spend these hard earned 3 months – write a book, upskill myself, find a hobby outside work, do a personal project but none of these excited me as much as traveling did. The idea of going backpacking through Europe without too much planning and experiencing each city like a local was something that I had only read about. I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would do it myself one day.
After many false starts and stops due to work and personal priorities, I finally applied to take my sabbatical in May 2020. I made up my mind to try backpacking but with a slight (or rather a big) twist – something that I would feel comfortable doing solo. The plan was to choose solo traveler friendly places to visit, decide how many days to spend in each place, book accommodation and leave the local sightseeing open. I created a 6-week itinerary that would take me to 8 countries and 12 cities. After finalizing the itinerary, booking the flights and hotels, and getting the visa, I was in for a horrible surprise.
Covid lay waste to all my plans. I was deeply disappointed to say the least and my workplace was obliging enough to let me cancel my planned leave when I explained how it was not going to be possible to realize my travel dream in the current situation. Life was uncertain, not to mention, extremely scary for the next 2 years. I forgot all about my Europe trip as the sound of the phone ringing and ambulance screaming past brought my heart to mouth every time. We were fortunate enough to survive the brutal Covid wave and come out relatively unscathed.
Meanwhile, at work, I was managing an internal strategic initiative. It was progressing very well, but the economic downturn led to business slowing down. Considering the situation, leadership decided to pause the initiative in Feb 2023. It was risky to be on leave during such uncertain times but there is never a perfect time. I decided to take the chance, talked to my operations lead, and applied for sabbatical from August. After that, it was only a matter of reviving my earlier itinerary. The trip was back on. But before Europe trip, I visited my brother and family in US for 6 weeks and went to Alaska, Cancun, New York, and Boston.
On the day we were supposed to fly to Alaska, my brother had a minor accident. The doctor cleared his travel, and my brother said that he was going to be able to manage and that we should do the trip. So, we moved our flight by a day and with a lot of apprehension, we left for Alaska. Everything went well and I am so happy that we went ahead with the trip. To say Alaska is picturesque is an understatement. The highlight of our 1-week trip was the unforgettable glacier landing experience with stunning views of Mt. Denali, Mt. Foraker, and Mt. Huntington. The Kenai Fjords national park is amazing with fjords, glaciers, bays, and coves vying with headlands where we saw marine life including orcas, sea lions and puffins. The grizzlies and moose among other animals and birds in Denali national park and the surrounding wilderness bring home how small and insignificant we humans are and give us a new perspective. The pristine lakes, majestic mountains and icy glaciers are a beauty to behold during the train journey from Anchorage to Seward and from Denali back to Anchorage.
Cancun was all about enjoying the sun, sand and sea coupled with visiting one of the new wonders of the world at the archeological site in Chichén Itzá and the ruins situated among cliffs in Tulum with stunning views of the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.
I had lived in the heart of New York for 1 ½ years when I was working there, and the moment I got into the city from the airport, I instantly fell in love with it complete with all its mess of teeming roads, smelly sidewalks, and overflowing subway trains. The mighty skyscrapers, awesome views of the skyline from Hudson River, Times Square, Central Park, High Line, and the buzzing streets stole my heart. I got to visit NYC again for a day when the weather was perfect and relive those sweet memories by visiting our usual haunts – central park that used to be our go-to place to enjoy the fresh air, frolicking children and lively atmosphere during the weekend when we were back in the city after a week away for work, high line walk, cruise to soak in the Manhattan skyline that I never tire of, Indian restaurant that I used to visit whenever I missed Indian food which was quite often and the list goes on. After spending a memorable day roaming the streets of New York with a friend, I returned home with aching feet but a happy and content self.
My last visit of the US trip was to Boston to do the freedom trail. I had stayed very close to Boston Common when I had traveled to Boston for work but had not done the complete freedom trail. This time, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting all the 17 historic landmarks linked to the American revolution with my brother. We started at Boston Common and walked through downtown proceeding to the north of Boston visiting churches, burial grounds & meeting houses and ending at the bunker hill monument in Charlestown. It is a great idea and executed with perfection with maps and trail markings. It was another tiring, but thoroughly enjoyable day made all the more sweet when we indulged in a cheesecake from the famous Mike’s pastry in the North end before heading back home.
Upon return from US, it was time to pack and leave for Europe trip. The itinerary had expanded a little with 4 more countries added which I was going to visit with friends before embarking on the solo trip. After visiting the Balkan cities of Bucharest, Sofia, Nis and Skopje with friends, I said goodbye to them at Sofia and continued on my trip with mixed feelings about whether I would be able to enjoy the rest of the trip alone as much as I did the first part with friends. After the initial bout of uncertainty and anxiety, I began to relax and started enjoying the experience. The best part of solo travel is that you can set your own pace and do only what interests you. However, I did miss sharing the experience with travel mates. It was not easy to manage and plan everything alone but as they say, there is no gain without pain and what a gain it was!
FlixBus was my de facto mode of transport between cities for most of my trip as it is cheap, convenient and takes you from country to country in a matter of hours, not to mention the beautiful views of picturesque plains and majestic mountains. There are excellent blogs by experienced travelers who have shared detailed itineraries that I used to plan my sightseeing in and around each city.
I chose to stay in hotels in the city center which were expensive but extremely convenient for sightseeing and had easy access to public transport. Public transport day passes were economical and the best way to get around in most cities like Sofia, Budapest, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona and Madrid and Uber was affordable and convenient in Portugal.
With an international roaming data plan and a generous 12 GB of data per month, research and sightseeing was simple. I felt at ease knowing that I could contact family and friends and local hotels and guides anywhere anytime.
Every city told numerous fascinating stories about invasions, world wars, concentration camps, religious persecutions, dictatorships, invasions, coups, fight for independence through its monuments and museums. Weather was perfect for most part of the trip. The old town area, churches, cathedrals, castles, historical landmarks, and cobbled streets looked even more beautiful under the clear blue skies. Rather than go through everything that I did in each city, I would like to share the places and activities that stood out for me and that I absolutely enjoyed.
- Bucharest: The incredible fountain show of music, light, and color which we happened by chance and this unexpected discovery made it all the more enjoyable.
- Sofia: Alexander Nevsky orthodox cathedral built in Byzantine style which is the largest cathedral in the Balkans.
- Skopje: The new buildings constructed to showcase the rich history dating back to Roman, Ottoman and Yugoslav eras.
- Nis: Ruins of Mediana from 4th Century AD which was Roman emperor Constantine’s villa.
- Budapest: Danube river cruise that enabled spectacular views of the parliament building, Buda castle and castle hill that I thirstily soaked in with a glass of bubbly.
- Bratislava: The quirky statues in unexpected corners – Bronze man at work, Schone Naci, Hans Christian Andersen, Napoleon’s army soldier, skateboarder girls
- Prague: The astronomical clock from the 15th century that is still working where one can enjoy a parade of apostles every hour and Charles bridge adorned with statues and artists displaying and selling their works.
- Wroclaw: Hunting for gnome statues that are lurking at every corner of old town and market square was super fun. I wish I had more than half a day at Wroclaw so that I could find all the statues. Next time!
- Krakow: The spine-chilling gore of Auschwitz concentration camp and a whole world of salt mine complete with salt chapels and sculptures hidden underneath the ground.
- Warsaw: Reconstructed old town with castle square and Sigismund's column
- Berlin: The open-air east side gallery with magnificent and poignant artwork that speaks eloquently of freedom and peace without uttering a single word. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words!
- Munich: The gorgeous and ornate new town hall built in neo-gothic style and the English garden with Monopteros, the lovely artificial stream and surfers enjoying the standing wave at one end.
- Barcelona: The charming old town area with the impressive cathedral, La Rambla buzzing with restaurants, cafes and shops, labyrinthine cobbled streets and squares, and the Gaudi buildings including the famous Sagrada Familia. I switched over from wondering what the Gaudi fuss was all about to admiring his extremely functional buildings and ergonomic designs.
- Madrid: Retiro park in the heart of Madrid. defensive walls from the 11th - 14th century in Avila and extremely well-preserved Aqueduct in Segovia both of which are a couple of hours of drive away from Madrid.
- Porto: Walking the Luis I bridge to cross Douro River from Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia, port wine from the many wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and the many ceramic tile-front buildings including the walls and ceilings covered with tiles inside the Sao Bento train station.
- Lisbon: Tagus waterfront promenade lined with restaurants & cafes and peppered with buildings and monuments such as Belem tower and Monument of the discoveries.
I am sure you agree that a travel blog is incomplete without discussing food, so here goes. Orange juice everywhere in Europe is to die for – sweet, fresh and lip smacking. My breakfast was usually eggs, either scrambled eggs or omelets, fruits, croissant, and the mandatory orange juice. For years now, I start my morning with a cup of coffee, but here, I opted for the juice when I was feeling full and could have either and not both. That’s how yummy the orange juice was! Being a vegetarian, I got to enjoy the vegetarian version of some of the popular local dishes like Pierogi, Paella and Tapas. Italian and Mediterranean were my go-to cuisines and, of course, Indian when I was famished and wanted to have a hearty and satisfying meal. The food was amazing everywhere I went; every restaurant, small or big, had fresh and extremely tasty dishes that were a delight to the palate.
Like the saying goes, travel expanded my mind too. I enjoyed learning about European history in a fun manner and ironically, I used to hate studying history in school. I now know the timeline of the various architectural styles although I am far from being able to recognize the styles
I learnt about myself too. I love relaxing holidays where you take it slow and wind down from the busy everyday life. I learnt that I also enjoy exploring the popular sights setting a fast pace during the day and winding down at sundown with a cup of coffee at a café. It is also fun to meet new people and get to know them a little when your paths cross during your travels.
Nothing is impossible and you can accomplish anything; all you need is the will to do it. The trip is over, but the memories will live on forever.
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