The highlights of my Topdeck Tour

Hostel: Plus Berlin. The hostel was in a very large old building but the hostel was very well done. There was a very large internal courtyard and we had a great time playing ping pong.  On the third floor there was a very large hang out room but whenever I went in there it was quite empty and peaceful.

Country: Italy! I would have to say Italy because I spent the most time in it but it is truly beautiful with the Alps, lakes, canals, etc.

Moment: Bicycling through Amsterdam. Cruising the canals in Venice in a gondola. Enjoying the snow in Slovakia.

Books read: Harry Potter 1, 2 and 3. I was Doctor Mengel's Assistant.

Purchase: Tapir stuffed animal from the Prague Zoo. Never thought I would be able to have a stuffed Tapir.

Optional: The canal cruise in Amsterdam is tied with the canal cruise in Venice. The Amsterdam cruise was on a larger boat, had an open bar and allowed me to see a different side to Amsterdam then I would have if I had stayed on dry land. The cruise in Venice was just beautiful. Sliding through the water in our gondola amongst the buildings was something I won't forget.

Museum: Mucha Museum in Prague. I first discovered this artist in Powell River when I found a wall plaque in one of the stores with one of his works on it. I have been a fan of his art nouveau work ever since. It always makes me think of Stephanie.

Food: Before my trip it was the pizza I got from the bakery in Milan. On the trip I would have to say it was the stuffed cabbage rolls in Budapest. The seven different kinds of perogies in Krakow were also so so good.

Drink: Chili Hot Chocolate in Krakow, Poland.

Gelato flavour: Lemon! I always enjoy a good tart flavour. Second best was Lion bar flavour I had in Rome.

City that surprised me the most:  Budapest! I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I knew nothing about it except that it was in Hungary and was formed by two cities Buda and Pest. I came away from it, wanting to return and it being a highlight of my trip. If you're reading this, put Budapest on your list of cities to check out.

City I would return to right away if I could: Amsterdam! I enjoyed all the cities we went to but I really felt I wanted more time in Amsterdam and was not ready to leave it. Hoping to get back ASAP.

Best zoo: Budapest won me by the closeness I got to the animals. I hate not being able to see the animals in exhibits or if the animal is too far away. I really enjoyed going in the early morning when it opened so it was not too crowded and gave me a lot of time to enjoy the animals. The only negative thing I had to say about the zoo was how the Tapir was hiding!

If you have any questions you would like answered. Let me know and I'll add them.

Rathmore

I've officially moved into my new house in Liverpool. The house is in Mossley Hill which is a lovely place surrounded by lots of parks. Penny Lane is very close to where I now call home.  I signed the lease today with the landlord's agent Bryan but I spent my first full night last night. The first thing I did when I arrived was dump my backpack and head to the nearest Tesco to get bedding before they closed. 

I returned home and made my bed which made me very happy before unpacking further. After emptying my backpack, I happily tucked it away into the closet promising that it would come out soon when I head to Spain with Jess. 

Once I was done I found the directions on how to walk to the Brookhouse and walked there happily in the sunshine exploring my new neighbourhood. I arrived halfway through the Sunderland vs Cardiff match and ordered a Rekorderlig Strawberry-Lime Cider and managed to find a seat which was lucky as the place was soon filling up with people wanting to watch the Liverpool vs Chelsea match that was coming on next. The last time I had gone to the Brookhouse, it had been with Jamie and I wished that she was there with me.

After the match, which I will not mention further I walked back the way I had come but stopped at the smaller Tesco by my house. Purchasing a few staples to have dinner and breakfast. I was able to skype with Shawn and Jordan that night which made me incredibly happy. I went to bed feeling relief.

Vienna

Vienna, Capital of Austria and home to 1.7 million people. It was the third city that we would be staying in on the Top Deck and I was quite excited to explore the land of the Habsburgs.

If I was a bird, if I was a plane.

I've been away from home for 41 days now. That means I have 685 days left in my life changing journey.  

My month and a half has been full of things. I've stayed in 14 different hostels in 11 different countries. I've made friends with accents. I've collected postcards from all these countries and am slowly sending them to those I care about. 

There's still gaps in my life but I'll fill them when I can.   

I miss my friends.

I miss my family.

I miss my Ricky.

But I'm following my dream and the emptiness I carry with me is a side effect of it. 

One of these days you'll be under the covers
You'll be under the table and you'll realize
That all of your days are numbered, all of them one to one hundred
All of them millions, all of them trillions

So what are you gonna do with them all?

-Live like you're dying - Lenka

Venice

I've been to some new places.

It's been more than a month since I've left Canada and I am going to fill the gap of my blog and post one photo from every country I have visited since I left Canada.

Verona

Rome

Waking early to go do something is hard work but you have to do it sometimes. Waking up at 5. I hurried to make sure that everything was packed. Checking to make sure I was not forgetting anything I headed into the kitchen where Maurice and Maria Carla had breakfast ready for me. After a quick coffee and some toast. I grabbed my bag, said my goodbyes to Maria Carla and headed with Maurice to the train station. A quick goodbye, I validated my ticket and hurried onto the train. Finding a quiet seat by myself, I settled into the seat awaiting the train to take off.

My last day in Domo!

More Mozzio.

We were back to Mozzio to have lunch with more of my distant Rolandi relatives. This time I was accompanied by Maurice and Maria Carla and their cute grandchildren Sofia and Edoardo.

By Lake Maggiore in Arona.

Today we were off to the lake to see the antique market that they have one Sunday a month in Arona where Sergio had a stand set up.

Saturday, a day at the market in Domodossola.

With Marianna busy, I headed to explore the market of Domodossola with Maria Carla. Every Saturday they host a market that draws many people from all over. Due to Domodossola being so close to the Swiss border the market brings a lot of them by train.

Mozzio, Mozzio, Mozzio!

Today Marianna and I were headed up to Mozzio to have lunch with more of my Rolandi relatives. Her uncle Sergio gave us a ride in his car north of Domodossola to Mozzio.

Milan! (Or Paige vs Trains round 2)

Maria Carla, Marianna and I got up early and had breakfast before heading by foot to the train station. The goal, to take Milan by storm. Just kidding. We got our train tickets and headed onto the train. Preforming a ritual of cleaning the seats before sitting down. I did not know of this ritual the day before. Who knows what kind of cooties I have on me now.

The long road to Domodossola.

As mentioned in my previous post I woke up several times during the morning of the 2nd before giving up on sleeping and headed out of my hostel as soon as I could. After checking out I walked the 10-15 minutes to Picadilly Train Station.

From Liverpool to Manchester

Leaving Liverpool for Manchester was quite hard. I had been really enjoying my time with Jamie but I am sure she was a bit happy to get me out of her hair (and her bed.) We had our toast with salami for breakfast with a nice glass of O'Boy chocolate milk. I said goodbye to my home for the last seven days and headed with Jamie through Wavertree, past the cemetery and Liverpool Women's Hospital and arrived in the center of Liverpool. The walk to the bus was all to quick and Jamie waved me off.