February

After the insanity that was my trip to Athens last month, this month was about laying low and taking a breather. That didn’t happen though.

The first half of the month was pretty boring. I spent most of my time trying to work out my official visa, I’m still on a temporary work visa at the moment. Once I finally got a response, I found out that I had missed my appointment to pick up my visa, an appointment I didn’t know that I had. So I was forced to reschedule a pick up time. It was at this point that I discovered the problem with being a foreigner in Munich. Turns out there’s a lot of us here in Munich and only one office that handles our paperwork. This means that I’ll be [picking up my official visa in April, when I leave in May. Very frustrating, but that’s life I guess.

I had originally planned to spend the last weekend of the month in Budapest, but ended up changing my plans after finding out the kids would be gone on vacation during the last week of the month. This was my perfect opportunity to go to Italy, since I wanted to visit more than one city there. I quickly scheduled bus tickets and booked hostels in Milan, Florence, and Rome. I even had plans to visit a potential Master’s school in Rome. If any of you have been reading the news regarding the coronavirus, or Covid-19, you may have an idea of where this is going.

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I headed off to Milan on the 22nd and while I was traveling, news began to break about cases of covid in Northern Italy. I proceeded in ignorant bliss. Checking into my hostel and exploring the Duomo square. I have had a massive obsession with gothic architecture for years now and seeing the cathedral was on my bucket list. Later that night I got my first warning about how this week was gonna end up. Jacopo, an exchange student for Italy that lived with my family during my senior year of high school, was supposed to come meet me in Milan. He and his family made the decision that due to the spread of the virus he would not be coming to see me. Sad news, but understandable. The next day I took a walking tour with the most hilarious and fun guide I’ve ever had. Once the tour was over, I got myself a ticket to the Duomo. I proceeded to spend the rest of my afternoon exploring the cathedral, having the time of my life. That evening I started getting messages from my hosts in Germany, giving me some updates about the ‘outbreak’ occurring in Northern Italy. I wasn’t very worried about it, especially since I was leaving for Florence soon. However, when I woke at 6am the next day to a message saying that borders were starting to close, I knew I had to go back to Munich. So, I sadly booked a ticket back to Germany and was in Munich before the end of the day.

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I still had the week off and wasn’t put off from traveling because if the outbreak set back. Within a couple days I was off again. This time to Prague, with very little planning and the will to wing it. My adventures in Prague were definitely memorable and a crap ton of fun. This hostel I stayed in was one of the most social places I’d been in a very long time. There was a large group of us that were traveling solo, so chatting and friendship insured quickly. I even met this kid that had just gotten off a NOLS trip, he was a Michigan version of many of the boys I’ve worked with at camp these past few years. This was the first time I’ve ever really socialized in a hostel, since I had no plans it seemed like the best move. It was. My three/four days have led to some new favorite travel stories and memories.

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That’s all for now! Not done traveling yet, in a couple days I’m headed to the US for my oldest brother’s wedding. Very tired from the last week and half of travel, but I’m pushing forward.