Vacation | Celebrating my 30th
The one with all the crazy lists
Your columnist is away.
“What? What do you mean? This guy is just traveling and hasn’t sat behind a desk in over 3 months!”
While this is very much true, I have been in Turkey over the past few days with my mom and my sister, who joined me to celebrate my 30th birthday!
And it was also my mom’s 59th birthday! We are part of a tiny fraction of the population of parent and child pairs who share the same birthday, within their respective years, of course.
We could have won the lottery, but we got a fun fact instead.
As such, I’ve had busy days sightseeing in Istanbul, and also not-so-busy days enjoying the beach, for once on this trip, in Bodrum.
Nonetheless, I could not dedicate much time to writing about my experiences in these fine Turkish cities, so I prepared a special edition instead.
I thought about making one of those “30 things I learned by the time I’m 30” but, instead, I’ll do a quick look back on my trip so far.
The reason is twofold. Firstly, I reached 30 with more questions than answers, perhaps with only the certainty that I still have a lot to learn.
This might be the main difference from turning 20. Back then, I thought I knew everything and I was fully prepared for the road ahead.
Now, I see the beauty in figuring things out as I go, though at times it is humbling and painful.
Secondly, I have by now finished the European part of the trip. Unless you consider Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan part of Europe. I’ve seen arguments listing them as such (especially Georgia and Armenia) and also some that say they are in Asia.
I’ve always known Istanbul to be the “city that spans both Europe and Asia”, so in my mind, everything east of Turkey is part of Asia. I will not die on this hill, but for the sake of this week’s post, let’s treat them as Central Asia.
So, I wanted to share a few of the highlights so far. Over the first 3 months, I visited 20 countries, one of them being Morocco, in North Africa.
Morocco is much much different than European countries, so I’m excluding them from any comparison.
This is based on my experience there and might be heavily biased towards how much time I spent there. Without further ado, here are my non-scientific, yet experimental, rankings:
Top 5 cities
Krakow, PL: this city has it all—rich, yet intense, history, nice old town, fun bars and good parties
Sarajevo, BH: where “East meets West”, being there is fascinating. The history is complex and recent, but the city is building back and it is nestled in a valley. If you go there, make sure you’re ready to walk up and down the hills. Maybe I’ll go back there one day for a ski trip?
Rome, IT: I almost didn’t go there. Though extremely touristy, it is a very worthy stop. Prepare your wallet, though
Prague, CZ: the Vltava cuts through the city, it makes for scenic views along the Charles Bridge, with different architectonic styles and stunning sculptures all around. Prague Castle is a sight to behold as well, day and night
Lisbon, PT: one of my favorite cities. It was my third time there, and it always feels a bit different and yet like home
Top 5 churches
Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican: self-explanatory
Saint Sava Orthodox Church, Belgrade, SR: the floor to ceiling golden mosaics are astounding
Papal Basilica of Saint Mary the Major, Rome, IT: one of the 4 great basilicas in Rome, this is where Pope Francis is now buried. I got to visit it before he passed, but I already knew of the upcoming symbolism of having the now late Pope there for eternity
Sé do Porto / Porto Cathedral, Porto, PT: from the outside you may think it is just another typical cathedral, but on the inside, you’ll see most of the art decorating it is made from azulejos, the traditional Portuguese blue tiles—loved it!
Church of Saint Anthony of the German, Madrid, ES: Hidden gem. The ceiling frescoes are close to Sistine Chapel calibers
Honorable mention: La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, ES. I did not go in because tickets were sold out, but it wouldn’t be fair not to mention it
Honorable mention #2: Frauenkirche, Munich, DE. While this cathedral doesn’t have amazing iconography and felt underwhelming after I had just been to the Vatican, their organist was practicing for a good hour while I was there, making the experience memorable (and a tad dramatic)
Top 5 Old Towns
Prague, CZ: the Easter Markets added a nice touch to my experience there. The astronomical clock tower was my favorite one!
Munich, DE: a bigger old town than most, it was very charming with a good mix of market, museums, and beer halls
Kraków, PL: the really big square with a market in the middle and a cathedral were differentiators. The park surrounding was the cherry on top
Zurich, CH: the Limmat, the Alps, Lake Zurich, plus the Swiss quiet grandeur make it one of my favorite Old Towns in all of Europe. Ranked 4th because it was my second time there
Nice, FR: You can almost hear Latin in the streets. That’s how Roman it looks. And I’m still thinking about the Niçoise salad I had to skip because I was getting my meals at the Monop
Top 5 most scenic places
Lake Bled, SI: the color of the water is an emerald green and there is an island right in the middle of it, with a beautiful church. The lake is also surrounded by mountains, with a castle built atop a cliff. Looks like a fairytale town
Bern Canton, CH: hiking in the Swiss Alps. What else can I say?
French Riviera, FR: I not only got to witness amazing sunsets in Nice and Cannes, but the train rides around there were simply
Cascais, PT: the serenity of this retirement hotspot did not go unnoticed on me. The blend of golf courses with beaches, historical buildings, and sailboats made the perfect vibe. I can see myself living there by 2055
Comporta, PT: the cliffs by the water (falésias) and the cais palafítico added a nice touch to this up-and-coming town
Top 5 tourist traps
Budapest, HU: didn’t get the hype, people were rude, and it wasn’t as cheap as you’d think. Food was neither good nor healthy
Barcelona, ES: overly touristed
Munich, DE: I first went there and the hostels were nearly all sold out. My second time around was a bit better, but just not sure it is worth a visit (or maybe I just need a higher budget and someone to enjoy it with). Probably lovely to live there, though!
Monaco, MO: it was what I expected. Fine for one day but I don’t think I need to go back there. The real estate prices made me question rich people’s priorities
Porto, PT: I was fortunate to know people there and avoid most of the traps there. I had an amazing time, but the line for Livraria Lello has to be the stamp of hypocrisy in modern society. In addition, I was slightly offended by the sight of Tuk Tuks
Top 5 train networks
Switzerland: trains are on time, clean, and comfortable, and the rides are scenic. Oh, have I told you that I boarded a panoramic train car? Mic drop
Austria: the OBB has to have the neatest trains in Europe. The Austrian Alps also serve as amazing backdrops for any ride.
France: always on time and the rides by the French Riviera are just so pretty
Italy: having to reserve pretty much every single train ride was a bit annoying, but I can’t complain about the trains I took there.
Germany: you can go virtually anywhere by train
Bottom 5 train networks
North Macedonia: the network is so run down that the lines don’t even show up on my train pass (though it is technically included)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: trains don’t run very often and they are not connected to other countries
Serbia: the train I wanted to take from Belgrade to Bar (coast town in Montenegro) only ran at night, and the reverse was also very late
Portugal: always packed, a bit old, and no direct high-speed connection to Madrid
Germany: the trains are always late
Top 5 distances covered in one day by foot (according to my watch)
May 30th: 25.9 miles / 41.5 km - Skopje, MK and Thessaloniki, GR. I ate a gyro platter that was a bit too big, so had to go for an extra walk at night, for digestion purposes
March 6th: 25.3 miles / 40.5 km - Seville, ES. It turns out I had too much packed for one day
May 24th: 25.1 miles / 40.2 km - Belgrade, SR. Though buses were free, I believe walking is one of the best ways to see a city
April 14th: 24.2 miles / 38.7 km - Prague, CZ. Chasing the paternoster elevator
April 13th: 24.1 miles / 38.6 km - Prague, CZ. May or may not have been due to a pub crawl
Top 5 longest train rides in one day (including switching times)
Bratislava-Petrzalka - Zürich Hauptbahnhof: 10 hours and 4 minutes
Roma Termini - München Hauptbahnhof: 9 hours and 6 minutes (plus however many minutes I got delayed while in Germany)
Kraków Główny - Budapest Nyugati: 8 hours and 39 minutes
München Ost - Bled Jezero: 8 hours and 34 minutes (plus delays in Germany)
München Hauptbahnhof - Prague Hlavni Nadrazi: 5 hours and 38 minutes (also don’t forget about German delays—personally think they can do better)
Bottom 5 cities to visit
Budapest, HU: if Lángos was good, you’d see them as a midnight snack in NYC
Zagreb, HR: not much to see or do there. Got unlucky since I wanted to go to the beach but it was raining that week
Skopje, NM: not that I had high expectations, but you can see everything in 3 hours. There’s also a lot of very visible poverty, more common in lower-income countries, which was grounding to see. Almost like a trip through time—many places in Europe used to be like this before the economies started to integrate more, which brought prosperity to many countries within the EU
Thessaloniki, GR: thought I would go for a quick swim there, but there is no beach there. Just a port, and no sand (at least not in the main area)
Monaco, MO: rich people’s tax avoidance scheme made cool by Formula 1. Cannes and Nice are just as nice for a fraction of the price, but you’ll pay your taxes there (if you establish fiscal residence there)
Top 5 cities for another trip (unfortunately, I can’t go to them all!)
Mostar, BH: train schedules didn’t work for me
Dubrovnik, HR: it was raining the week I was there
Èze, FR: limited time since I had to meet friends for the weekend in Milano
Florence, IT: limited time since I had to meet my cousin in Berlin for Easter
Sintra, PT: I have been there twice, but it is one of my favorite day trips from Lisbon. I’m sure there will be a third time one day!
Top 5 cities to run
Lake Bled, SI: the loop around the lake is ~4 mi / ~6 km long. Perfect for an easy run. You can also jump in the lake, which will energize you for lap #2
Madrid, ES: the beautiful Retiro Park and the perfect temperature in early spring
Prague, CZ: you can easily mix up some intense uphill challenges, with brisk jogging by the river
Thessaloniki, GR: running seaside just reminds me of home. Not that I would run a lot when I lived there (my time was mainly spent in basketball courts back then), but running with the sea breeze just hits you differently
Kraków, PL: there is a park that circles Old Town, but running through it is also fun. The river path also makes for a scenic run
Top 5 hostels that I stayed
Wild Elephants, Bratislava, SK: the wifi password was “Socialize”. They made a dull city otherwise very fun!
Greg & Tom, Krakow, PL: breakfast and dinner were included, which was great to meet other travelers. Made up for the two shower options I had on my floor: scorching hot or freezing cold—as in one shower would only be scorching hot and the other shower would only be freezing cold
Onefam Arbes, Prague, CZ: the volunteers were great and it was also very sociable
Cabbage Hostel, Belgrade, SR: this one grew on me. After the owner was rude because I was super early for check-in, the cleanliness and friendliness of the staff (and the owner too, after a few hours) were great. It was also a big house converted into a hostel, with a nice outside area, and it had a basketball court just outside of it
Tilia Hostel, Faro, PT: it was my first hostel on the trip. I was a bit nervous, but the mid-1800s architecture reminded me of our shared history and it made me feel right at home
Bottom 5 hostels that I stayed
Riad Layla Rouge Marrakech, MA: I know I said I wouldn’t talk about Morocco… but this one was just trash. From the check-in guy trying to scam me, to the concave mattress (yes, concave)—it just felt off. It also wasn’t a proper Riad!
Hostel Villa Saint Exupery, Nice, FR: there was a weird guy who was drunk and almost started a fight with me because my backpack was taking up too much space (it was, but he had zero chills about it). The bathrooms were also often dirty and the showers were super narrow
Euro Youth Hostel, Munich, DE: overly expensive, and the room was super hot. Smelled bad too
Zen Hostel, Budapest, HU: it was the Labor Day weekend but I didn’t realize that until it was too late. This was one of the last hostels available, and the crowd there was a bit weird
La Guitarra Hostel, Poznań, PL: thin walls and this guy that was extremely loud. He kept talking for two hours by the front desk and I could hear him from my room.
Random places I slept in just because of how the train schedules worked out, sorted by most to least random
Niš, SR: I had never heard of it, there is nothing to do there, and tiny chance I’ll ever go back there
Poznań, PL: it turns out Poland is huge. Poznan was a nice trip break on my way to Krakow.
Montpellier, FR: I had to get 4 trains to make it to Nice, from Barcelona. What could go wrong? Not sure, maybe the fact that my first train from Barcelona was just sitting at a random station in Catalonia for 30 minutes?
Thessaloniki, GR: I love beach towns and it reminded me (a bit) of Rio, but I only went there because it was on the way to Athens
Faro, PT: nice, peaceful, winter scape for North Europe. Though I was curious about the Algarve region, I only slept there to get a bus to Seville (where I met Mr. Orestes)
Hope you enjoyed these lists! Next week we may or may not go back to regular programming
Upcoming Itinerary:
📍June 16–17 — Izmir, TR
📍June 17–19 — Ephesus, TR
📍June 19–21 — Pamukkali, TR
💬 What’s your take? Have you visited any of these spots or have your own favorites? Let me know below!
Bio
Hi, I’m Guido, a Brazilian traveler who spent 13 years in the US before life nudged me toward a long-awaited dream: a year of exploring the world. I started this page to share my journey with family and friends, but if you’ve found your way here, I’m grateful you came along!
You were so close to hitting an official
marathon distance in Greece!
I think that if German trains are always late they should been listed among the top train networks…