The End

26th-30th July

Having saying goodbye to Wannes and Nele in Dendermonde in Belgium we had a long day of travel heading towards the Alps. It was almost the end of mine and Dave's trip through Europe and the end of my epic travel adventure. Europe had been quiet exhausting with lots crammed in and the previous days had been no exception. The plan was to have one final destination in the Alps before heading back to our favourite hostel in Munich where are flight home was from. To get to Innsbruck we had to change at Munich but when we arrived we decided we couldn't be arsed and went back to the big tent a couple of days early.

Back in the tent

We still had a few days left as we wanted to chill for a few days before going home so there was plenty of time for a day trip to Innsbruck and that is what we did. One final adventure.

Heading for the mountains

Our mission for the day was to climb a mountain! After a short train ride to Innsbruck we walked through the town to the cable car station that would take us most of the way up the mountain.

Nice bridge

Half way up

Cheating

There was a second cable car that takes you to the top but I wanted to explore a little so we opted to hike the rest of the way

Almost at the top

Epic

The clouds were coming up our side of the mountain so there wasn't much of a view but when we got the top the other side was almost clear. The scenery here was epic! Dave was panicking that his heart might give out. It had been a steep climb.

Mountains!

The top!

The clouds parted

Just as we were about to head down the clouds parted briefly to give a brilliant view of the other side of the valley. It was short lived though as the clouds came back with a big hail shower.

Through the alpine forest

We got a bit lost of the way down. We just kept heading downhill without really paying much attention. We were just wandering through the wilderness. My knees were killing me by the time we got to the bottom.

What they doing?

When we did finally manage to get back to the town we did a little bit of exploration. There wasn't a whole bunch to see. It was what you'd expect from a typical mountain town.

Centre of Innsbruck

Random town

We treated ourselves to a well earned Maccas before getting the train back to Munich. The train journey itself is worth the effort as it winds through the foothills of the Alps.

Very pretty

When we got back we chilled out in the bar with a few beers and made friends with a couple of Australians. This hostel is so good for the social side. It was really easy to strike up a conversation. As we sat chatting around the campfire I remember thinking 'I'll miss this'.

The Final Night

That was it. It was all done. Time to go home!

After nearly 4 years away from home living, working and travelling in 26 different countries it was finally all over. I spent the last day going through all my pictures and videos to put together a small highlights video as some sort of finale montage for myself.

As I was going through it all I was reminded of all the amazing things I've done and experienced. The road trip up the East Coast of Australia, my two favourite jobs I've ever had at the Monsoon Bar in Franz Josef and the winter season on Mt Ruapehu, living in my car driving around the circumference of Australia and all the incredible places I went to in Asia. I'd been to 24 of the 26 in the final 7 months alone and each place had its own fascinating story and history.

I've skydived. I've bungi jumped. I've swam with whale sharks, spent the night in the world's third largest cave and learnt how to snowboard. I witnessed to full solar eclipse, celebrated New Years Eve in Sydney Harbour. I climbed to the top of Mt Fuji and I've met about a MILLION people. The Ultimate Oz group, the Kiwi Experience group, the Ultimate Thailand group, exploring Myanmar with Katie, Laos with Daimi and all the people I worked with in 11 different jobs. There's just too many things that were good about this trip, I can't even list them all!

When I watched it back just before setting off to the airport I found myself quite emotional. It was hard saying goodbye. It was certainly the end of an era and while it was really sad I also felt very proud of what I've done and so thankful that I got to do and experience everything I did. The biggest thing was all the people I'd met and the friends I've made. They're the ones that turn a good thing into something special.

I write this now 9 months after I returned and a lot has happened. First I wanted to see everyone I had missed while I was away. Then it was long overdue to get my hair cut! After that, it was time build a life for myself which I think I've achieved. I found myself somewhere to live, got a car and a job. I'm working as a travel agent which is brilliant as I can talk all day long about my travels without sounding pretentious. It also means travel is still a big part of my life and it will help me tick off the ever increasing list of countries that I want to go to.

However, nothing will ever compare to this trip. The scale, the freedom, the adventure. A holiday is a holiday but this was a journey! As cliche as it sounds, it has changed me as a person. I learnt a lot about myself and a lot about the world. I feel like I see things differently now, with a different perspective. There is no normal, just different.

I miss it a lot. I miss my tan! But I made the right decision to come home. Its time for the next chapter of my life to begin. Whatever that might be...

My new wall hanging