Halfway Reflections

I'll get to my last couple of days in Padova in the next entry, which includes my trip to Verona for the day and learning from a very cute barmaid that my eyes are "Belissimo!".

I have hit the halfway point of my planned journey. Today is actually slightly past that, at about 43 days of my original "Around Europe in 80 Days" plan, with my acknowledgements to Jules Verne. In fact, that came a very close second to being the name of this blog. I do have a fascination with the word "shenanigans", which is why the current title won out.

I've more or less been on track with my original itinerary, with some changes in duration and some extra stops along the way. The second half is going to vary greatly from my original plan due to my return to Barcelona, and then the excursion up to Germany to the Black Forest with Paul.

So what are my thoughts so far? I have seen many different countries and cities by this point, tried a variety of beers and food, talked to and met many different people from all over Europe, been chased by some rowdy bovines, seen many famous icons and taken a lot of photo's. Let me take each of these points in turn.

It has been good to see the different countries and cities around Europe. It has been very interesting to see each country essentially merge into the next one, as because I haven't taken many long journeys, you can see the cultures blend near the edges. I'm glad to be able to say I've visited these places, and whilst I still think that humans are humans no matter where they're from, there have been some distinct variatins in culture as I move around. It is interesting to see that the Italians take their siesta much more seriously than the Spanish do, as every Italian shop (except more popular restaurants) in Turin, Padova, Verona and even Venice are shut between about 2 and 4. Contrastly in Spain, though I only saw a small portion of it, there doesn't seem to be as much of a ghost town during these periods. It is interesting to go from France and Belgium, where while the service isn't always terribly polite (north Belgium excepted), it is usually prompt and reasonably efficient. In Spain and to a lesser extent Italy, you get served with a smile, and they are usually genuinely trying to help you, however there is a definite lack of urgency about the place, and if you want anything done quickly, these are not the places to be.

I've tried to sample the local cuisine at most of the places I've been, and certainly Belgium was a highlight in the beers department. Certainly there was some nice French food, and some occasional highlights in Spain and Italy, but to be honest, generally I haven't been quite taken aback by the international cuisine. I'm not a hardcore food critic, but I know what I like, and so far I think we have a better variety of food of much higher quality back home. Italian pizza, while nice, I didn't find terribly exciting, and for the life of me I couldn't find much pasta on the menus (apparently southern Italy is better for this). Those who know me, will also know my signature pasta dish, and I did not find one lasagne on any menu in Italy. Spanish food didn't grab me, but that's because I'm not too big into seafood, and I was too busy browsing the beer lists in Belgium to really care about what I was eating.

I've definitely met a lot of people in my travels, as most would expect this happens primarily in the hostels. It's difficult to meet people out and about, primarily because of the language barrier. I have taken a lot out of just talking to different people and seeing what they think about various topics and why. I've also spent a lot of time interrogating people about their respective countries and what makes them tick, which has yielded some interesting ideas, including what seems a complete lack of German nationalism, the expense of living in Norway, that somehow even with all the oil and carbohydrates in their food, the Italians are the skinniest in Europe. Given all this, though, it is difficult to form long term friendships with people when you only know them for a few days at the most. So this exchange of ideas is very interesting to me, but I also realise it is the most I can expect out of most encounters on my journey. It is always fun to run into other Australians out here (and trust me, there are plenty of us around) and see what their experiences have been like so far. It has also been a huge bonus being able to hang out with friends I know whilst on the trip. Travelling by oneself doesn't get lonely per se, but hanging out with close friends can make many experiences shine that much more. That said, I have thoroughly enjoyed spending days with new people I've met, as they often offer a perspective that you and your close friends may not consider. Oh yeah, and as far as the scenery goes, Italian girls take the gold so far. That said, I'm yet to visit any Slavic or Scandinavian countries, which I've heard good reports of quality from also.

I haven't been a lazy traveller, and I manage to see the main sites in each city. Eiffel towers, crazy buildings, nice views, to be honest, they're cool to see, but each does little for me in and of itself. I've always been much more of a 'doing' kind of person, which is why I am generally enjoying myself more when there is activity going on, such as the bike tours, walking tours, etc. I have taken many, many photos (there are so many left to release on the gallery), and my little mascot Donald is making more appearances here and there.

I haven't experienced many real "wow" moments that a lot of travellers talk about, however I will re-iterate that the Running of the Bulls was one of the most incredible things that's happened to me, and I still get a cool buzz just thinking about it. I do, every now and then, stop and kind of "realise" that I'm actually half way across the world, for instance "I'm in Italy having dinner... that's a bit bizzare", or "I'm in southern France, just walking around... hmmm!".

All in all, it's been pretty cool so far. I fall short of saying that this whole trip is "life altering" or anything like that, as you often hear from travellers. I expect that I will actually appreciate a lot of these experiences after they're all said and done. I will be able to associate things that happen to me, or that I see in the future with things I've encountered on this journey, and it will hopefully give me a broader perspective with which I see the world at the end of the day. As stated in the caption, I'm only halfway there, and there is surely a lot left to be explored. I am intrigued to see at the culmination of this journey, what my reflection on this trip as a whole will be, and whether I will take anything singularly profound out of it, or if it will simply be one of the more interesting chapters in that book we call Life Experience.