Week 1
7/6 | London
And so the European experiment begins, with a day layover in the place I’ll probably end up after this adventure: London.
I love this city. I haven’t been back in about a year and a half, but as soon as I managed to escape the clutches of the area around LHR (akin to trying to judge NYC by the area immediately surrounding JFK), I was reminded of why. The streets are infused with history and culture in a way that’s wholly absent anywhere in the US (the closest I’ve seen has been Boston, and even that doesn’t come close). London, moreover, is massive, and there’s so much of this cultural richness to explore (unlike other European cities, which have a very small old town which you can walk in ~10 minutes).
I first took the train into King’s Cross and checked out the Google office which resides inside the St. Pancras Station building. It provides a terrace with an incredible view of the London skyline.
Unfortunately, said skyline is…disappointing (to put it mildly) coming from New York. Oh well, some things we gain, some things we lose. I then walked from the station to Camden Town and roamed around the myriad markets.
Lots of great food options from every kind of cuisine you can think of. Live street performers (who seem to really like Shape of You by Ed Sheeran). Hecklers for cheap touristy goods in pop-up street stalls and ramshackle shops. Vibrant graffiti lining the walls of the canals.
After enjoying some time and some ice cream by the water, I walked over to Soho for dinner. The city was alive and thriving in one of its most famous shopping districts on a Thursday night, I could barely squeeze down the twisting cobblestone pedestrian streets thanks to the overflow of patrons at local pubs and restaurants.
Aside from being a phenomenal people-watching experience, I was very pleased to see lots of establishments that seemed on par with New York chic while also being as (if not more) affordable compared to what I’m used to.
I wrapped up my evening with dinner at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen upstairs in King’s Court, which is a fantastic-if-not-overtly-touristy food hall with a few other fun attractions within. I usually don’t seek out Middle Eastern food, but I was very pleased with everything I ordered, from the garlic naan to the baba ganoush.
Alas, with a 6am flight from LHR the following day, I skipped out on some of the later-night attractions and took the tube (followed by a classic double-decker bus) back to my hotel near the airport.
7/7 | Zurich
After a short night at the hotel, I woke up at 3:30am to catch my flight from LHR to Ljubljana, via Zurich. The airport was a fiasco—after checking in online and arriving at the airport 1.5 hours before takeoff, I was placed in queue where I waited for 30 minutes to drop my bag (too big to fit in the overhead compartment of this small, regional jet).
With about 5 minutes to go until check-in closed and at least 70% of the line remaining, a few tourists in front of me noticed a shorter line forming to the side of the main line (filled with families with multiple checked bags, on later flights). Thanks to this insight, we abandoned ship and were able to drop our bags just in time by switching lines. If there’s one thing I miss about the US, it’s the efficiency of our airports and airport security (UK security also took 5-10 minutes longer than usual, and lacking a TSA PreCheck equivalent doesn’t help).
A quick hop and a quicker snooze later, we landed in Zurich and I disembarked into the city (but only after boarding a train in the wrong direction, waiting at the platform of a station in the middle of the Alps, and sitting paranoid on my train back to the city center worried that my ticket would be randomly checked and that I would be fined thanks to my mistake). An hour later than expected, I arrived.
I had admittedly low expectations for Zurich—I was informed that it’s a very picturesque mountain town if not a little boring. I was neither disappointed nor surprised by my actual experience.
The city is interlaced with canals with stunningly clear water, absent of any trash or debris. Swiss locals and tourists alike enjoy sipping coffee, sunbathing, or walking nearby. It’s quite peaceful. I was even (un)fortunate enough to arrive on the setup day for a big festival taking place over the weekend, but I could tell even still that it would be a big affair.
After dropping my bag in a safe location, I walked up to the hill at the center of town and took in a view of the skyline juxtaposed with the mountains in the background. This is like a European, better version of Colorado. I got lost making my way back down towards the water, stumbling into the local library, some picturesque streets lined with Swiss flags, and the setup grounds for the forthcoming festival.
I took my final hour to soak up some sun along the water and sample some Swiss chocolate (though I prefer dark, Swiss milk chocolate is the most famous, and for good reason…). Before I knew it, it was already about 3pm, and time for me to make my way back to the airport to catch a flight to my first proper stop: Slovenia.
7/8 - 7/10 | Ljubljana and Bled
I arrived in Ljubljana the evening of the 7th and made friends with the people staying in the room next to mine. We walked around the old town in the evening, had dinner along the water, and went to a bar that promised us the ability to control the jukebox, but which was revoked due to too many drunk people playing Gimme Gimme on repeat.
I started my next day with a bit of solo exploration of the town, followed by a guided tour. We saw some of the classic sights around the main square and even took a serene boat cruise down the river to a more local area of the city. Among the quirkier sights on the tour included a man with an emu sitting at a local cafe, and egg and milk vending machines stocked with fresh produce in the middle of the city. The tour finished on a rooftop dubbed by my guide the “Rockefeller Center of Ljubljana”, which presented an amazing view of the city. I also got to try the famous Slovenian layer cake.
Afterward, I did some more self-directed wandering into a free-town arts district area of Metelkova, and took care of some “personal errands” (getting healthy food, going to the gym, etc.). I stumbled into my hostelmates while taking a stroll along the river around 6, and we had Slovenian-Mexican fusion food of mediocre quality and conversation of better quality. I then proposed the idea of climbing up to the castle to watch the sunset.
We arrived at the top just in time to witness orange-streaked skies and watch the sun retreat behind the mountains. I enjoyed a bottle of Cockta, a communism-era attempt to recreate Coca-Cola (operative word: attempt). I even encountered a friend from my tour earlier that day, and we all enjoyed the view together. It was a peaceful and perfect way to wind down after a long, hot day of roaming the streets and waterways.
The following day involved some morning-time scrambling as I attempted to catch the bus to Bled. Having slept in, I missed the early buses and arrived at the bus station to find everything sold out till noon. I purchased a ticket and return fare for that earliest-possible bus and enjoyed some coffee by the water while I waited.
After braving the hour-long bus trip to Bled, I connected with some strangers from a solo travelers group chat and began a day excursion around the lake. We first summited the castle (after getting lost a couple of times on the way up), then immediately descended to get to the cool road by the lake and to avoid paying the needlessly expensive entrance fee. After walking to the far side (from where the bus landed), we pitched camp and sat in the sun and dove into the crystal-clear (dare I say, blue ass) water. It was well over 90 degrees even in the shade, so the swim was a welcome relief after a few hours of walking around. Interesting, I found it challenging to stay afloat in the lake; the lack of salt in the water means you’re more predisposed to sinking!
Two members of the group needed to catch an early bus, but I and one other rounded out the afternoon by sampling the famous Bled cream cake and riding the summer toboggan (which I’ve affectionately termed the “Bled sled”). Despite the entrance fee, it was easily the highlight of the day.
The bus ride back to the city was an adventure. Tickets were not sold in advance, so a hoard of tourists was waiting in a disorganized fashion as the 7pm bus arrived. With no regard for human decency or breathing space, the crowd mobbed the bus entrance, and we were turned away around 7 or so passengers before entering because the bus had filled up. Instantly, the mob migrated to the doors of the empty (presumably, next) bus waiting in front, where we proceeded to wait for another 30 minutes in the streaming sun. When the driver arrived, the same fiasco repeated itself, except this time I managed to forge a path onto the vehicle with an extraordinary display of agility and force (just kidding). After a refreshing shower and some reading, I met up with some fellow backpackers for a late night game of cards at a local bar.
My final day in Slovenia was a day trip to the Postojna cave network. I’ve never been to something quite like this. After a late arrival, I took a peek inside the vivarium and saw the Ohlms: local wildlife that look like very long, albino axolotls due to darkness, this experience was a little disappointing, but my subsequent adventure into the caves made up for it.
The best word I have for what I felt upon entering these caves is awe. You’re placed on a 10-minute train ride (quite reminiscent of Disneyland) through twisting passageways and caverns before arriving at the heart of the caves, where you’re led on an hour or so hike through the underground terrain. Everything in here looks other-worldly and strange, from the drip castles to the jellyfish to the “replicas” of famous world landmarks (Taipei 101 and Leaning Tower of Pisa), the shapes and forms you see naturally arising from the rocks are wild. I was a bit foolish on this tour and did not pack a jacket nor rent one (for 5 euros) at the entry, so I was shivering in my short sleeve shirt and shorts by the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The echoes and the cool, damp air also add considerably to the mystical ambiance. I found this day excursion to be far more exciting and unique than Bled, overall.
7/11 | Zagreb
I had just over 12 hours to experience the capital of Croatia, and I felt that it was completely sufficient. The city itself is much more bleak and bland than quaint downtown Ljubljana—even the old town of Gradec isn’t very picturesque by comparison. Moreover, due to the major earthquakes in 2020, all of the churches in the city (and even some of the other famous attractions) are closed for renovations and covered in scaffolding.
I began my day with a walking tour to get a lay of the land and I learned about the history of Zagreb. The capital used to be comprised of two rivaling towns on nearby hills: one owned by the Catholic clergy, and one inhabited by the common people. A small river separated the two towns, bridged by the so-called “Bloody Bridge” due to the frequent conflict that occurred on this site. Today, the river has been rerouted and neither water nor bridge remains, though the street that the structure used to cross is still named as such.
My tour culminated with witnessing the traditional firing of the cannon, which takes place every day at exactly noon. My guide warned us that it would be loud and a bit shocking, and even with earplugs in and knowing exactly when the fuse was lit, I was caught off-guard.
After the tour, I explored some of the sights I didn’t get to see on the tour. This included climbing the Lotrščak Tower for a view of the city and a visit to the Museum of Failed Relationships—a collection of anonymously donated items symbolizing failed relationships along with stories of their significance. The latter is one of the quirkier museums I’ve ever been to. It made me laugh and cry multiple times throughout my visit.
After relaxing in a cafe for a bit, I re-joined my tour group for a war tour of the city. This is certainly one of the best tours I’ve ever taken, if not the best. Not only was my guide, Ivana, a charismatic and energetic personality, but especially when discussing the wars in the Balkans in the 90s, she was able to share the lived experiences of her family during the conflict. To hear this, and to see modern footage of the atrocities of war, were viscerally moving. But even despite the disturbing imagery and content, the tour ended with a feeling of hope and optimism, and a reaffirmed sense of the kindness of the Balkan people, which I felt from waiters to local passersby to the tourists in town for only a short time.
Finally, I settled down to dinner with some friends I met on the tour and then I made my way off into the sunset and back towards the bus station for an overnight land voyage to Bosnia.
7/12 - 7/13 | Sarajevo
Sarejevo is unlike other European cities I’ve been to. Heavily influenced by both the Austro-Hungarians and the Ottomans, it’s a city with churches next to mosques, bazaars next to imperial avenues. Culturally speaking, you see people in hijabs and in tank tops walking side-by-side. I’ve never been to the Middle East, so this was a very interesting experience.
I arrived at around 5 in the morning and wandered 30 minutes in the wrong direction through an empty city searching for WiFi. I eventually found some, corrected my mistake, made it back towards the old town, and rested at the only open cafe—fittingly called Manhattan. At 8 I dropped my bags at my hostel, freshened up, and headed out for a walking tour where I got to explore the core of the old town.
Exhausted, I settled for a nap in the afternoon and then scheduled a massage for myself at a nearby spa. I took the rest of the evening for personal time: going to the gym, reading, meandering, visiting some museums, etc.
My second day in Sarajevo was largely spent on a comprehensive tour of the city. Me, 3 guys from my hostel, and our local tour guide drove around and saw some pretty incredible places. From the Tunnel of Hope, an 800m long tunnel constructed under Serbian lines during the second Balkan war, to an abandoned sniper’s nest overlooking the streets of the city, I saw things and heard stories from our guide that were truly incredible (and which I never would have heard anywhere else). This was a very moving afternoon that’s hard to put into words without the context of an in-person experience. Your perspective on these things changes when you see them firsthand.
The history of conflict in this city is as palpable as it is tragic. It’s still laughably easy to find art made out of bullets and artillery shells, ruined or abandoned buildings, streaks of gunshots on the sides of churches. And yet, the locals are so kind and welcoming, you’d be shocked to learn that they had been ravaged by war in recent memory. It is still fairly taboo to talk about the conflict in general, but those who do want to discuss the war have incredible perspectives to share.