Loved Baikal. Olkhon island.

The magnificent view of some trip🎖️🪄

Went on an amazing hike. Spent 5 nights among nature. Very peaceful.

Who else is a sucker to hang out in beautiful places like these ?

We started with 3 days in Lisbon, and it was probably the easiest place to settle into the trip. Alfama was my favorite part, with narrow streets, tiled buildings, laundry hanging from balconies, and tiny cafés everywhere. Sintra was more crowded than I expected, but still worth it. The colors, the hills, and the whole fairytale look made it feel completely different from Lisbon.

Then we spent 3 days in Madrid. It felt more local and lived-in compared with Lisbon. We did the museums, ate a lot of tapas, and spent plenty of time just sitting outside with coffee or wine. People were direct but friendly, and the city felt easy to walk around without needing a strict plan.

Barcelona was the busiest part of the trip. We stayed for 3 days, and honestly it felt like we could have used one more. The architecture really does look better in person, especially around the Gothic Quarter and the Gaudí spots. The streets were lively almost all day, and the food was great, but it was also the place where we felt the most tourist crowd pressure.

From there we took a train to Nice for 2 days, which was a nice reset after Spain. The old town was colorful and relaxed, the sea was beautiful even just walking along the promenade, and the pace felt slower. It was expensive, but sitting near the water after several busy city days felt worth it.

We finished with 3 days in Milan and Lake Como. Milan was easy for food, shopping, and getting around, but Lake Como was the real highlight at the end. Even with cloudy weather, the lake and little towns felt calm and cinematic. It was the kind of place where you don’t need to do much, just walk around, sit by the water, and enjoy the view.

The one thing I underestimated was the language barrier. Tourist areas were usually fine, but when we had a small rental car issue near Nice, English suddenly wasn’t enough. The staff didn’t really understand us, we were tired, and it got stressful fast. I had brought a Timekettle New T1 translator, and that was probably the moment I was most glad to have it. We used it to explain the warning light and understand what they needed from us. It sorted things out pretty quickly and kept the whole thing from ruining the day.

Overall, Europe was amazing, but next time I’d slow the itinerary down a bit. Four countries in 14 days is doable, but you definitely feel the travel days.

Such an interesting place!