1 month.
10 countries.
1 new decade.
istanbul (wasn't even really "the trip" yet)
Landed here as a stopover on the way in — and it still managed to steal a whole evening. Bosphorus sunset, fishermen lining the pier, and the Blue Mosque casually flexing 500 years of architecture like it's nothing.
10/10 way to get the trip-brain switched on before Europe even officially started.
prague — main character energy, medieval edition
This is where the actual European leg kicked off. Cobblestones, spires, church towers older than most countries — the classic "old Europe" postcard, delivered in full.
vienna — a completely different energy
Swapped Prague's cobblestone charm for full imperial grandeur — palaces, museums, cafés that feel like they're judging your order. Wandered Stephansplatz by day and got the cathedral lit up like a movie set at night.
lucerne → jungfraujoch — "top of europe," literally
3,454 meters up
Didn't just visit Switzerland — spent my 30th birthday in the Swiss Alps, at Jungfraujoch. Snow, glaciers, and a slightly ridiculous amount of sledding. Pretty fitting way to start whatever this new decade is.
marseille & the mediterranean
Swam in the Mediterranean — the sea that basically raised half of human civilization, no big deal. Sunburnt and extremely happy about it.
That's the Château d'If in the photo — the real island prison that inspired The Count of Monte Cristo. It was the first book I ever really read as a kid. Twenty-something years later, I'm just... standing in front of it.
barcelona
Mediterranean energy, Gaudí architecture that looks illegal, food that ruins other food for you. First real taste of Spain — and yes, I was quietly scouting it too.