Exhausation

It's been a while, dear readers. This post will be rather ad-hoc with not much structure and full of little random thoughts, rather than the typical chronological recounting. I thought it best to just post something rather than waiting to write the perfect post.

Exhaustion has caught up to me. I am approaching four months on the road, living out of my bag, no permanent, personal space to decompress in at the end of long, busy days. While tired and weary, I wouldn't trade this for anything. Living a life I daydreamed of sitting at my desk in my office in Auckland for all of last year, I feel privileged for this chapter of my life. Not waking up early each morning to sit on my arse all day, helping McDonald's buy more property to poison more children, feeling bored and unfulfilled, has increased my quality of life tenfold. I was extremely fortunate to spend nearly two weeks having some decompressing, chill, lazy time in my fourth trip on my journey to the Austrian capital, Vienna. 

This portion of my trip has been unique in that my time alone has been very minimal in comparison to the rest of my journey. One of the key highlights was having one of my best mates, Lance, along for the ride for a good few weeks. As well, my time in Vienna was marked by spending time with a very cool new person in my life. 

Here's some thoughts from the places I've visited the past six weeks or so. 

Dresden

I arrived in Dresden to massive bear hug from Lance, finally reunited after last seeing each other on my final day in NZ. Grateful to be in his company again we began to explore the city. Dresden felt unique compared to other cities I have visited on this trip. Full of graffiti covering the buildings, especially in the "hip" young district we stayed in, it had a griminess to it that, in my eyes, was endearing. A part of former East Germany, the obvious communist motifs were all gone, but the city still carried a vibe to it that was distinct from the cities I'd been to in western Germany. The goal of being in Dresden was for Lance and I to see the final Dynamo Dresden game of the season, Lance's favourite German football team. Unfortunately, given they had just secured promotion to second tier of German football, the game was all sold out, so we made do with watching in a pub and grabbing some merch to commemorate the occasion. Some sightseeing around the city filled the rest of the agenda, with some great restored old buildings that had been rebuilt following the Allies bombing the city to shit in 1945.  

Prague 

Prague was up next, with another "Onefam" hostel booked for Lance and I, with me keen to show Lance how fun staying in hostels has been for me. The hostel in Dresden was a bit disappointing so we were both looking forward to a more social vibe in Prague. And we were not disappointed. A great few days in Prague, meeting some interesting people, with a key highlight being Lance's great karaoke, earning the night's MVP award from the host at the bar. A memory of mine from Prague was walking through the city with Lance marvelling at things yet my thinking being "Oh yeah, I've seen stuff like this before. This isn't particularly exciting." A point I was hoping to not arrive at on my trip, given my usual high levels of curiosity and interest in new things. I think back to this point and see my energy and enthusiasm levels knocked down a notch since the start of the trip. Fortunately, I still had a great time in Prague and did find it a beautiful city. I think being a little sick that day contributed to my feelings. 

Vienna (The Second Time)

Lance and I met his brother, Hayden, in Vienna, and we had a great few days exploring, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in Europe. Filled with wonderful buildings, and great museums, the three of us had a great time and met some cool people in the hostel we stayed at. On my final day, I had a pivotal cup of matcha that would change the trajectory of my trip.  

Ljubljana

The Slovenian capital is a very cool little city that I highly recommend anyone add to their future European itineraries. Great walkable streets in the city centre, a relaxed vibe, with cool bars and cafes, and terrific people. Very close to breathtaking nature as well. Slovenia is a very green country. We visited Lake Bled, a stunningly beautiful lake with a little island in the middle that has a church on it. Crisp blue water, easy to walk around, and a castle overlooking the lake for great views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Slovenia will definitely be a country I will return to, hopefully soon. 

Vienna (The Third Time)

I parted ways with Lance and Hayden temporarily for a few days to head back to Vienna. There were museums I was yet to visit, as well as someone I wanted to see again. Many cool cafes were frequented during my third stint in Vienna, as well as a great afternoon in the Albertina art museum. I was beginning to become more knowledgeable with the city, and grew more and more fond of it. Honestly this few days was possibly someone of the best that I've had on my journey.    

The Netherlands 

Meeting back up with Lance and Hayden in the Netherlands was next on the agenda, with a full day of trains ahead of me to get across Austria and Germany to one of my favourite countries in the world. Ideally in time for that evening's Champions League Final. Of course, Deutsche Bahn and the Dutch Railways did not want me to have a comfortable, easy day. With several delays, people mucking about on the train tracks, and trains not going to the right place, my three trains turned into five, and I ended up watching the Final on my phone rather than with the boys. Brilliant. We spent time in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam during our week or so in the Netherlands. This stint confirmed that I really love the Netherlands, especially Utrecht. Fantastic cities, great cycling culture and public transport, livable streets with minimal cars and great bars and cafes, everyone speaks English. Amazing place. I reconnected with a mate I made during my time in Spain, Thijs, who lived in Utrecht. He made us dinner at his place and showed us around Utrecht a bit which was more than generous. It was great to see him again. 

Hamburg 

More train mishaps meant I had to go via Belgium to get to Hamburg to stay with Sarah's good friend, Mia. Eventually getting there, I stayed with Mia for two nights and she showed me around the northern German city. It was wonderful to spend more time with her and get to know her, given how special she is to my sister. We had a great connection and I hope to see her again soon. She was really generous in letting me stay with her as well. 

Vienna (The Fourth Time)

Vienna called my name again. Having to "slum" it in second class on the 9 hour train down Germany, I arrived rather weary. Fortunately a chill couple of weeks was on the agenda. This time furthered (again) my appreciation for Vienna. It felt nice during this stint to do a bit of nothing quite frequently and not be on my feet, backpack on my shoulders, moving around so much. I am eternally grateful to have been able to stay where I did and put my feet up for a while. I really needed it. Drinking tea, sitting in the park, watching films, and cooking filled my time this Vienna chapter. Cooking regularly was something that really filled a hole that has been missing in my life recently. It felt good to create and craft my own recipes, as well as seeing the joy my food brought others. Some things that I still feel missing from my life are playing basketball and football, playing my guitar and of course seeing my friends and family. Once I settle in the UK, I am really looking forward to adding these things back to my life (well just without friends/family part). 

Albania 

My three months (and a bit) in the EU expired, and it was time to turn the page and start a new chapter of my journey. Leaving Vienna was very difficult, especially knowing I can't return until at least September. However, all things must pass. The adventure continues. The anxiety started the morning I left Vienna, nearly a week ago, and honestly, while diminished, it is still bubbling away a little inside me. Albania is possibly not the best place to be when already feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and anxious. Especially the chaotic capital, Tirana. And especially not in 35 degree heat. My emotions have been all over the place while in Albania. As I started this post with, I am exhausted. Knackered. Tired. Fucked. Being on my feet for nearly four months has definitely caught up to me. And honestly while I feel a little guilty, I know I need to take it easy, and be kind to myself. I'm sure a lot of you would find this period of time, or even a shorter period, exhausting too. It hasn't been aided by having the nearly two weeks in Vienna in one place, taking it very chill. I lost the momentum of travel I had going, and it has been really tough to build that back up. Especially going back to sleeping in a hostel bed, with minimal privacy and personal space. As I sit in this cafe in Shkoder, I feel like I've gained a bit of it back, but it's taken some time. And it is nowhere near the level I once had. 

Tirana was an interesting place, it was just a shame I felt very overwhelmed and didn't enjoy it as much as I would have done in a different headspace (and season, fuck it was suffocatingly hot). I met some cool people at the hostel and had a good few nights drinking, which aided my mood. A very funny story was meeting another kiwi guy at the hostel, a guy called Marco. He looked vaguely familiar and it turned out he was Lance's good friend Marco, and we both knew of each other but had never met. A very small world. 

Following the overwhelmed feeling in Tirana, I needed my own space, and to just be boring and watch shit on my laptop and read. I journeyed to Durres on the coast, and spent three nights there in my own room. I did a bit of walking around, but mostly just chilled out. I really needed it. I got up at 2am to watch Game 7 of the NBA Final (Thunder v Pacers), which was fun albeit a disappointing game. It was nice to be by the water for a bit and take it easy. As I find after a few days on my own, I do crave some company. A 7.30am minibus to Shkoder, near the Montenegro border, was today's adventure, arriving to 30 degree at 10am. Fun. Three nights in what looks like a fun hostel, with plenty of day trips to sign up for, should be good for me and take my mind off the anxiety I'm feeling about what the future holds for me. I have an exciting week planned in Albania next week, so that's keeping me going. But I am feeling impatient and wish it could happen sooner. But in the meantime I will occupy myself and try meet some new people. 

Well there you have it folks. A rambling recount, and a bit of pouring my emotions out from this Albania chapter. I'll try stay on top of things going forward, but my travels are coming to an end. After this stint in Albania, I will be on my way to the UK for a wee bit of travel but mostly looking to settle down and begin my new life in Manchester. The next few months are a bit uncertain, but hey, so have the past few months. Onwards and upwards.