The Post-Mortem

January 27th, 2009
June 3rd 2009

Coffee with our awesome cousin who was a big inspiration for both of us for this trip

Well, I'm sitting here on my couch in Laguna after an amazing night's sleep in my own bed and believe it or not it's been 4 and a half months since we left. Yesterday we left sunny London and landed in rainy L.A. It was great to see Mum and Dad again and as luck would have it, our cousin was in town for a business meeting so we were able to meet her and yak over coffee about our travels, her travels, our parent's travels and all the stories we could recall. Though we could have talked for days, the the three hours we did talk were so nice as they helped churn up some of the smaller already almost forgotten stories.

Though we questioned it along the way, we decided that the January to June dates that we traveled were much better than the alternative June to September. As we were leaving, the lines were growing long, the temperatures climbing higher and the hostel rates raising. The winter weather didn't stop us from seeing any of the sights and we were lucky enough to see the seasons change and the gardens and people come back to life with the sun. We met so many interesting people along our trip that were long-term travelers (one or two years) really keen on meeting new people, seeing beautiful towns, having a fun time and experiencing the foreign cultures and people. As we were leaving, the post-study abroad kids and the summer Euro-trip kids were multiplying in number each day, pouring into the hostels with their huge wheelie suitcases. Intent on getting wasted, meeting other Americans and seeing only the sights mapped out for them in Lonely Planet, we found ourselves reminiscing about the people we met along the way and the cool things we'd seen and done.

When we landed in Barcelona way back in February we checked into our first hostel and promptly met some people who had been on the road for 6 months. Wide eyed and ready for the trip of a lifetime we sat hanging on their every word; soaking up their stories, taking note of all their recommendations and do's and dont's. By the end of our trip, the tables had turned and we were the experienced travelers sharing our stories and our do's and dont's with those just starting out on their adventures. The travelers mentality is very different from the tourist mentality. Already talking about our next trip, Trev and I are both heavily infected with the travelers bug.


So, 19 countries, 35 hostels, 2 couches, 1 cave, 7 flights, 30 train rides, 7 night trains, umpteen jars of Nutella, and countless baguettes later, this trip is now a memory to look back on with a smile for the rest of our lives. Thanks everybody for following our trip and we can't wait to see you all!

Back Again

A stroll across Abby Road
Winter trees

Summer trees

Winter in Trafalgar (Feb. 3rd)

Summer in Trafalgar (May 29)

Well it seems hard to believe but after 4 months of hopping about the continent, we are back in London with our friends. The weather was absolutely beautiful at 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Taking full advantage of this rare occurrence there was not a soul inside for the weekend. The commons and the parks which when we left were covered in 2 feet of snow were now filled with people playing football and cricket and eating feasts of fresh fruit and icy drinks. Save for a couple of wicked hangovers after a night at the pub with some friends from home we too were outside for much of our last week abroad. We took a day trip down to Brighton, a small beach town just south of the city where our Dad grew up. In about three hours we got the worst sunburn either of us has had since we were little kids. Ross, our British friend, took great pride in the fact that he got the southern Californians burned in England.

Our last night we had a big goodbye dinner with Ross and his mates, some friends we met in Budapest who happened to be in London at the time, and two of my good friends from home. It seemed hard to believe that the trip was at an end. What an amazing time.

An Amsterdam Good Time

Amsterdam is a very beautiful city with very beautiful people and a museum filled with very beautiful Van Gough paintings. As brother and sister, walking through the red light district was nothing short of awkward so we made more of a blitz than a stroll. We found our way into some coffee shops and yes, we did actually drink some coffee too. We met our last group of travelers here and shared with them our last bit of road knowledge and took with us some final must-sees. Knowing we were going to be back in London with friends soon, we both felt a sadness for our last country on this trip.

Sunrise in Amsterdam

Bikes. Bikes. Bikes. Watch out for the bikes. They'll get you.