Europe (Take 4) by the Numbers...

I am finally back and almost almost recovered from a little over two weeks in Europe. This was my fifth time across the Atlantic and my 4th time for a big multi-country European trip. It was once again absolutely incredible and each and every day was amazing and I didn't want it to end. I woke up every morning excited for the day ahead and went to sleep each night with an exhausted smile on my face. How can anyone be unhappy exploring and wandering with beauty surrounding them?!? Traveling truly gives me life and I just love doing it.

If you’ve been keeping up, you’ve read what my friend and I had been up to the last couple of weeks, and it's been a fun time for sure. If you’ve been keeping up, you’ve read what my friend and I had been up to the last couple of weeks, and if not, here’s a slight round up, aka Europe by the numbers, take 4: 

15: Number of full days abroad 

5: Number of countries traveled to (Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Vatican City) 

15: Number of cities visited: (Stockholm, Copenhagen, Budapest, Monterroso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manorola, Riomaggiore, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Positano, Pompeii, Naples, Rome)

6: Number of hotels stayed in 

1: Number of celeb sightings (Logan Paul)

7: Number of modes of transportation (airplane, train (subway, commuter, and cross country) bicycle, boat, taxi, tram, funicular)

5: Number of times on a boat (Canal Tour in Copenhagen, Sunset Cruise in Budapest, Cinque Terre Ferry, Capri, Amalfi/Positano)

4: Number of beaches gone to (Monterosso, Capri, Amalfi, Positano)

0: Number of times I ran (this was sad to me by with my knee injury and the amount of things scheduled, the sun rising so early and therefore not feasibly being able to run and see it rise, it just wasn’t happening) 

23,843: Average Number of steps per day 

10.3: Average Number of miles walked per day 

Things I lost count of: 

- Number of Coke Zeros drank. (I drank more in these two weeks than this whole year combined.) 

- Number of mosquito bites 

- Number of IG “influencer photo shoots” we saw. It was actually comical how seriously some people take themselves. 

- Number of times peeing in toilets without seats. (I really don't get why this is a thing.)

Favorite Sights:

The Parliament building in Budapest, the view from Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre, and once again, the colosseum.

Something I found interesting: 

Budapest is like the nightlife capital of the world and lots of bachelor and bachelorette parties travel here. We saw a ton of them out here. Also there seemed to be significantly more men then women, like 70% men to 30% women ratio, which of course we appreciated a ton. 

Each year I don't think the trip can get any better and it does. I'm just grateful to have an opportunity to travel like this. To be physically healthy enough to go, to have the summers off to do it, and to have the finances to be able to travel this way is something I definitely do not take for granted. At all. From the hotels to the excursions to people we met, everything was fabulous. And from ancient ruins to palatial parliaments to homes on cliffs, everything was just prettier than the next. The amount of sites we saw, activities we did, laughs we had, and knowledge we gained was amazing and the experience was priceless. I always feel like I come back home more smarter and more cultured, (although I do always wish I had paid more attention in history class to understand some sites a little more). 

I know there is a whole lot more of the world to see, and I have covered a lot of ground in Europe these last few years, so next year it might be time to head to a new continent. We are thinking of potentially going to Australia, Bali and/or New Zealand. Who knows what it'll be. But for now, I just want to soak up the greatness of this trip and re-acclimate to real life here.