#traveljourney – Bri Right Back

June 12, 2021June 12, 2021 Brirightback

Ciao, Venice!

Ciao means hello and goodbye in Italian. It seems to be a fitting title for my two days in Venice that conclude these travels.

Wow, this has been such a long time coming! Finally, Venice, my last new destination during my four month journey. As the start of my goodbye train, it was finally sinking in that this was the end of my adventure, at least for now. I’d have to leave my travel buddies to the rest of their voyages and return home. Looking back at my admittedly sparse journal, I can’t help but wax nostalgic for this unique time in my life where my only responsibility was to discover and live each day to the fullest. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Anyways, enough about my dumb journey..

In Venice, we stayed at a hostel called Wombats City Hostel Venice Mestre. It was a short train ride away from the city. I enjoyed my stay here. It had the feel of a hotel room but with a few more beds. The bar downstairs was great too. Upon looking them up, I see they’ve closed permanently due to Covid which is such a shame. Check out their hostels in Vienna, Munich and London- I’m sure they’d have the same vibe and uphold the same standards to be a safe bet for a great stay in those cities.

My first impression of the city was that I’ve never seen a place like it. I loved exploring the canals, bridges, and tiny alleyways. While in Venice, we mostly wandered around aimlessly getting lost amongst the canals between swigs of shared bottles of wine. We saw the Piazza San Marco, home to the Basilica di San Marco. I didn’t get to see the inside of the Basilica since I was dressed for the hot weather. It was gorgeous from the outside though.

Mostly, while in Venice, we drank, scarfed down pizza and gelato, and enjoyed every second of the time we still shared together, at least for this trip.

It was surreal to think of how I embarked on this trip alone and then happened upon such an amazing group to share this experience with. Goodbyes are the hardest but they’re especially tough when you don’t know if or when you’ll see those friends again.

I’m grateful to everyone I crossed paths with throughout my travels. Whether you gave me a ride to the airport, directions somewhere, a place to stay- you are a part of my story and I wouldn’t be the same if I hadn’t met you 🙂

So, if you’re still reading, thanks for taking this journey with me! And Europe, thanks for the memories- hopefully I’ll see you again soon!

Statue of Niccolò Tommaseo, comically known to locals as “Booksh*tter”

Falling In Ljub With Ljubljana, Slovenia

May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 Brirightback

After Croatia, I headed to Ljubljana, Slovenia on a recommendation from friends. I didn’t know much about the country, but they insisted we needed to see Lake Bled. Now I’m here to tell you that you need to see it too! On the other hand, if you just can’t stand natural beauty and delicious desserts, you can go ahead and skip this destination.

My friends and I stayed at Hostel Vrba. This area has limited hostels so it might be one you’d want to book in advance. The rooms were comfortable and the owner was very friendly. It was also in a very nice area. Lake Bled has hostels too that might be worth checking out if you’ll be spending a majority of your time there.

Start off your visit by exploring the city. The city center is full of cute cafes and shops to check out. Ljubljana has several beautiful bridges to see, most notably the dragon bridge.

Take the funicular or the walk up to Ljubljana Castle to get great views of the city. You can get the best photos from up here, especially if you have a really tall friend to get those good angles. Thanks again, Lawrence!

While at the Castle, be sure to take a look at the art exhibitions there. I saw this beautiful textile exhibit when I was there, amongst others.

We were most excited to see Lake Bled in Slovenia and it truly didn’t disappoint. We took a day trip there but if I had a do-over, I would’ve stayed in that area itself so we could’ve spent more time there. It was just so gorgeous.

We rented some paddleboards by the lake and had a great time learning that we were not as balanced as we thought we were. You can walk up to the castle or take boats across the lake too.

I still can’t believe this place is real

If you have the time, take the trip to the Postojna Caves, a system of four interconnecting caves formed by the Pivka River over millions of years.

It was freezing in the caves but to me it felt like good ‘ol American air conditioning. I’d recommend dressing warm though as the underground train ride gets especially chilly.

We were budgeting pretty hard by this part of the trip, so we mostly ate homemade sandwiches and McDonald’s. However, you’d be missing out if you didn’t savor some of the baked goods Ljubljana has to offer. Štruklji is a pastry-like dish with meat and other fillings and was delicious. You should also try any type of pain au chocolat/ chocolate croissant-like pastries you can get your hands on. I don’t have any pictures of them because I ate them too fast.

I had an amazing time in Ljubljana and I can’t wait to visit again someday and maybe then I can finally learn how to spell it without spell check. Catch me in Venice, Italy soon!

Reflecting on 2019

January 24, 2020 Brirightback

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I’m a bit late but is anyone really shocked? I just wanted to do a little post to update anyone who’s still reading about my travels. I’ve been home for about six months and despite missing backpacking, I’m enjoying being home where my family and friends are at a more reachable distance. With the start of the new year, I’ve been reflecting on 2019 and what it meant to me to finally be able to take this trip of a lifetime.

I started off 2019 in a pretty bad place; out of shape, in a toxic relationship, and feeling like I’d lost control of my goals. I was drifting, rudderless, through each day, and knew I had to make some huge changes. I’d been saving up for years to do some long-term traveling. It finally felt like the right time to cash out and commit to making my trip a priority. The change of scenery had immediate positive effects on my mentality. Travel teaches you so much about yourself and the fact that I was able to do it on my own gave me something to feel proud of for the first time in recent memory. That sense of confidence had been stifled as I was going through life on auto-pilot. The months had felt like days and the years were passing entirely too quickly, without any sense of personal accomplishment. I know that the years feeling like they were flying by is part of getting older but travel helped slow things down. Four months did pass more quickly than I’d have liked but the days all seemed longer, full of more unique experiences and moments. I had time to think about my day instead of just exhaustedly turning my brain off in hopes of sleeping.

I missed home but the great thing about home is you can almost always come back to it. Of course there were some small changes but mostly it felt the same as when I left it. Missing home can be agony but discovering new places and meeting new people everyday was ecstasy for me. I couldn’t have experienced the highs without suffering through the lows. I shudder to think of where I would be if I didn’t catch that flight. I would probably still be saddled with someone who spoke of supporting my dreams but secretly rooted for my failure. Now I know that I was right to yearn for more. My decision to leave, both my home and that situation, was validated in more ways than I can count. I can safely say I returned home stronger, happier, and healthier than I have ever been and I’m committed to keeping things that way.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a little bit about my personal relationship with travel in the hopes that it resonates with someone. If something is missing in your life, find it. You’ll be glad you did. I know I am.

I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled programming soon and share some photos and stories about my time in Portugal. Thanks for reading!