What an adventure it has been these past few weeks. From a very heartfelt goodbye to our home in the north, to the south of France, the Tuscan countryside, Austria, Bavaria, and now a castle! Life is an adventure!

Hamburg/Travemünde 🌊

Picking up from where I left off last. Johana and I made our way down to Hamburg, where we picked up our rental for the trip. The pickup was butter-smooth, and we were delighted that our car was both almost brand new and larger than we had expected. We thoroughly investigated it and learned how it worked with all of its technology. Very happy with what we got!

It was also to be my first time driving in Europe, so this trip would be a big learning experience for me—driving through so many new places with different rules and practices. First up was driving out of Hamburg and back to Travemünde to pick up our stuff and say goodbye.

It was honestly very hard leaving our home behind. We were loved, trusted, and needed where we were. Everyone had vocalized how much they would miss us, and we would definitely miss them too. Nevertheless, we had made our plans months ago to leave, and now the time had come. Pulling up in our car, we were thinking to ourselves: “This is it—this is the last time we will enter through these gates. The last time we take a coffee, or enter H5.” It was very melancholy, and it’s very likely I’ll still be processing the closure of this chapter for some time. Be it as it may, we said our goodbyes, gave everyone a hug, and drove away.

Düsseldorf/Usingen 🇩🇪

Our first stop was Düsseldorf, as my best friend needed a ride back home and we had agreed to give him a lift. We jammed out in the car to loud music pretty much the entire way down—until at some point, we needed to get out, stretch our legs, and grab something to eat. My friend pointed out an IKEA exit off the autobahn, and the idea of their famous meatballs had us salivating. So, we took the exit and went to IKEA!

Walking around this random IKEA turned out to be the perfect plan. Johana had so much fun exploring all the display rooms, the food hit the spot, and yeah, the IKEA vibes were the right call after four hours in the car.

Several hours later, we arrived in Düsseldorf. Our friend invited us inside, and we all sat down for a cup of tea. We talked about our extensive itinerary for the next week, received a very nice gift as thanks for everything, and then departed toward our first Airbnb, close to my father’s hometown of Usingen, called the “Poets’ Corner.”

We arrived very late at night, but it was the warmest welcome we could have asked for. Our host greeted us at the gates, helped us with parking, showed us to our room, offered us drinks, and then left us alone for the night. We took a much-needed shower and aimed for a full night’s rest, as we’d be driving almost 10 hours in the morning. The bed was unbelievably comfortable, so both of us slept like rocks that night.

Waking up, as per our routine, we immediately needed to get to work on some coffee. For some reason, I just had to listen to Pulp Fiction that morning. We were so rural in this part of Germany that we had no reception, so I was very glad I had a copy saved locally on my phone for just such an occasion—haha.

It’s a shame that we only stayed one night here; it really was a beautiful spot we had picked. This little villa truly felt like the perfect place where a writer or poet could spend time working on something. The cozy room, surrounded by nature, with a small stream running nearby where one could sit and meditate—it was very tranquil.

It was time to check out and get moving, but we both needed to eat something and drop off a package. The closest town was Usingen, and I had figured when we booked this place that it would be the perfect opportunity to explore the town a little more, as it’s my father’s hometown.

In town, we dropped off the package, grabbed some snacks at the bakery, and enjoyed this peaceful little town.

Frankenstein Castle/France 🇫🇷

We had a long road ahead of us! We were now headed to our first proper destination: the south of France. We had booked a romantic little cottage nestled at the top of a hill in a tiny village. Much of the point of this trip was to pick places where we would get a chance to have as authentic an experience as we could in each country we visited.

Along the way, we both wanted to visit the ruins of the real Frankenstein Castle, just a little south of where we were coming from in Usingen. So this was where we planned to make a small rest stop before settling into the long drive.

The castle was indeed in ruins. We were pretty much the only people around, so it was very quiet. Nevertheless, it was fun poking around and imagining how this place might have looked way back when the castle was in its prime. Johana and I hunted around for the “fountain of youth,” which legend says would rejuvenate those who passed trials of courage to the age they were on the night of their wedding. Fun times!

Leaving the castle, we both got comfortable in the car, put on some music, and enjoyed the views as we exited Germany and entered the French countryside. At some point, we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some classic French foods that would serve as our dinner once we arrived at our Airbnb. We bought wine, cheese, and of course, a baguette—haha.

Very late at night, we finally arrived. We were, once again, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but as a result, it was extremely peaceful. We were very excited by the fact that this Airbnb had a proper bathtub. So, as soon as we got out of the car, we got a hot bath going, poured a glass of wine, and enjoyed our cheese and baguette late into the night.

First thing in the morning, it’s coffee time! We get dressed and decide we want to walk into the tiny village and get something there. There was only one café open in town, so it made the choice simple. We walk up, order our coffee, and sit down for an hour or so to catch up in our journals.

Our plan was to head into Lyon later in the day, but we decided spontaneously to walk around this tiny village and see what life is like in this small French town. Glad we did, because in the end, we much preferred this little village to Lyon. It was tiny, charming, and peaceful.

Lyon was honestly nothing special to us. It was a big French city. We didn’t really feel safe there, as there were signs everywhere warning against pickpockets—and indeed, some characters walking around did make us feel like we needed to watch ourselves. It was filled with tourists and didn’t feel particularly inspiring to us. Perhaps we’re getting used to Europe at this point, and the magic is starting to be lost on us.

We only ended up spending maybe 2–3 hours walking around Old Lyon. I’m sure there are good parts to it, and I can’t say with confidence that the city isn’t worth visiting—just that our experience wasn’t particularly rich. Be that as it may, we’re glad we saw it.

Leaving Lyon, we were both hungry, so we headed back to our small village with the plan to simply pick a restaurant along the road and try it out. We made it back almost to our little town and decided to try a steakhouse. Big mistake—the place was at 100% capacity that night. It was super loud, not at all our vibe, and very expensive.

We ended up waiting for over 2.5 hours with no sign of the food we had ordered 45 minutes into our wait. Eventually, we just got up and left, as it was clear that this wasn’t going to work. I was pissed, hungry, and tired… and on top of it all, it was raining outside and we had parked a ways away.

We needed to eat something, and there was only one spot left: the same small café where Johana and I had breakfast that morning. It was a slim chance they would still make anything an hour before closing, but we had to try.

Our experience here more than made up for the disaster at the previous place. They likely saw that we were pissed, wet, and hungry, and offered to make some salads for us. The owner even came out and cleared a space further inside the restaurant so we could get warmer and cozier.

Our salads were delicious and absolutely hit the spot. It was perfect.

We came home exhausted but very happy with how things had turned out. We ran another bath, drank the rest of our wine, and passed out shortly afterward.

The Alps/Italy 🇮🇹

Waking up, it was now time to begin the longest part of the drive: the journey to our Airbnb in Tuscany. We wanted to avoid the toll roads to save around $170 in fees—a decision that, in hindsight, was well worth it, as it also ended up taking us on the most epic drive of our lives.

We departed early in the morning with the only goal of finding a bakery for some breakfast. Maybe 20 minutes into our drive, right at the foothills of the Alps, we spotted a bakery just off the side of the road and pulled over.

We walked inside and were greeted with the most amazing selection of bread, desserts, and sandwiches we could have asked for.

I grabbed a prosciutto and cheese sandwich on some nice dark bread, along with a croissant. Johana got a literal lemon- and raspberry-shaped cake dessert. Everything was to die for—but it was only the start of what lay ahead.

It didn’t take long before our drive became absolutely jaw-droppingly stunning. Driving through the French Alps was easily the most legendary drive of my life, completely overtaking California’s Route 1 to Big Sur from San Francisco.

Johana and I had to stop the car a dozen times just to step out and admire what was in front of us. We also got dizzy from the altitude changes and the constant side-to-side swinging motion of driving up the mountains.

After a few hours of driving through this, we exited France and enter into Italy. We were reading something like 9 hours left of our drive. So we settled in again, cranked up the music and enjoyed the ride.

I honestly was not impressed with the start of Italy. We were avoiding the tolls roads which are the main highways so we were driving through every little forgotten town on our way down. Most of the towns really didn’t charm at all… until we hit Tuscany that is. My god, every little town is cuter then the last. All of the pastel colored houses, inviting restaurants, and lively welcoming people. This was my first true experience of a “warmer” southern country.

We were dying to eat something, and so we applied the same logic as we did in France of picking the first restaurant off the road that looked good. So we landed at a pizza joint at the top of a hill in some random village. When we walked in we were instantly warmly greeted by everyone who worked there. The place smelled amazing and we did the obvious thing of ordering pizza here… amazing of course.

More and more driving, we eventually arrive at our picture perfect Tuscan village and our Airbnb. Absolutely exhausted…again, we fall into bed and crash.

Our plan coming in was more or less to aim for Florence. However, after Lyon, we were wary of major tourist destinations. So instead, we opted to go to the smaller, much lesser-known city of Lucca. We were only about 20 or so minutes away from where we were staying, and logistically, it was going to be much easier and less stressful to get into the city.

Wow! We’re glad we chose to come here. Our experience was indeed very relaxed compared to what it likely would have been in Florence. There were a few tourists here and there, but for the most part, the city felt like it was filled with locals—and as a result, it was very authentic. Exactly what we were hoping for.

The city was absolutely beautiful. Every little street was picturesque. We ate classic pasta, drank Limoncello, and pretty much spent the entire day in the city. We were very happy we chose to come here. We loved Lucca!

On our way back, we also wanted to visit an Italian grocery store to see if we could find another bottle of wine and maybe discover some other hidden gems. Johana found a buffalo milk dessert, and we both wanted to try some cantucci. Everything was delicious.

We returned to our place and explored a bit more around our little village that night. We went for a walk into town to grab some dinner and just soaked up as much of Italy as we could.

Italy is probably my favorite country so far. There’s still much more for me to see, but for now, it’s the most enjoyable in all the areas that matter most to me.

The Barrel 🇦🇹

Next was the Airbnb I was most excited about—The Barrel. It was a complete campsite with a very cozy little wooden barrel just outside the city limits of Innsbruck.

Thankfully, the drive out of Italy was quick, and when we arrived, we still had plenty of sunshine! The Barrel was every bit as magical as the listing had promised.

Our primary goal upon arrival was to get a fire going and grill up some food! We quickly ran down the street into Innsbruck to pick up meats, vegetables, and other essentials we’d need for all the cooking we had planned. And cook we did! We feasted morning and night by our little campfire outside the barrel. We ate steak and sausages, corn, mushrooms, asparagus, and eggs for breakfast in the morning!

Otherwise, we pretty much just relaxed and soaked in the views and the serenity of this place.

It was now our last day with the car. Our drop-off was in Munich later that evening. On the way, we visited Neuschwanstein Castle but opted not to go inside as it was extremely busy. Still magical to see this castle on sitting majestically on the the hill. We arrived in Munich early, returned the car, and spent the evening exploring Old Town Munich. It was nice to be in Germany again…

In the morning, we took a bus to Vienna, which would be our last major stop before the final destination at the castle.

Vienna 🇦🇹

Ahh, Vienna! Lots of little magical moments happened here for us. We were, of course, impressed by the city—it was unbelievably beautiful. Its café culture is very special, and for me, this is the city where Celine and Jesse fall in love in Before Sunrise. We even tracked down the café where the couple sat in one scene of the film. It was a real classic spot: cash only, very small, and filled with the perfect Viennese vibe.

After eating, we spent pretty much the rest of the day and night walking around the city and talking. Our Airbnb was also the perfect spot to just relax. It had an Xbox 360 with stacks of classic games, a big TV, a cozy sofa, and was right in the middle of the city. Our host was really chill, too.

Felina

This pretty much concludes our little Euro road trip! There was so much more magic than I could possibly describe, even in this very long, exhausting post. In the end, it was 100% worth it.

We got a ride out of Vienna and down to the castle, where we’ve now settled in nicely. We’ll be staying here at the castle for the rest of the summer. Who knows what adventures lie ahead?

Until then, we rest—for a little while.