Day 15 ~ Halfway through the Trip, Chilling in Oldenburg!

So, today officially marked the 1/2 way mark of this fabulous trip! I decided it was a great time to summarize my trip, so here are the facts – Since June 16th when this adventure started I have traveled about 6,627 miles (as the crow flys) between my destinations. I have visited 13 cities (Only counting places I have ate, slept or spent more than 5 hours)- (London, Bath, Shanklin, Southampton, Brussels, Frankfurt, Vienna, Bratislava, Pannonhalma, Munich,  Berlin, Sczcein, Oldenburg), 7 countries (England, Belgium, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Poland). I have traveled on 14 trains, (including a night train), 3 coach buses (including a night bus), 3 ferries, have had 2 car trips and countless subways, buses and trams. #MinifigMerry has posted 42 different photos to my Instagram account. I have taken almost 3,000 pictures! According to my fitbit, in the past 15 days I have walked a total of 241,726 steps (or about 16,000 per day), 99.29 miles (or 6.62 miles per day) and climbed a whopping 229 floors (averaging about 15 floors a day). (I am glad I packed good shoes!) I have missed one train due to construction, and then of course I did board the wrong train. I have had one hostel experience that was wonderful, and one that was, well, a bit sketchy (Lets just say it will CERTAINLY not pop up on my travel recommendations at the end of the blog!) I would most assuredly say the trip so far has been FABULOUS! Today was a rather lazy day, and honestly was much needed! Due to the heatwave here in Northern Germany, and my late arrival last night, we decided we would play the day by ear and sleep in this morning – I slept until 9:30, which I think I needed more than I realized. We enjoyed coffee, breakfast and listening to the birds sing, I caught up on my blog, (and my laundry) Julia and  I enjoyed chatting and sharing pictures and things with one another (which Heinz dutifully captured on camera!). I truly stayed in my pajamas most of the day!   

(This one might be my favorite!)

We really just hung out, relaxed and chilled the rest of the day, and even had a chance to FaceTime with Mandy, Grace, Zachary & Taylor for a bit, which was fun, comical and quite enjoyable. About dinner time we discussed the possibility of venturing out to eat, and because it was just so hot (think 100 degrees F (without Air Conditioning)) we decided we would be cooler in that shade at the house (with fans), so Julia and I walked to the store – where I very much enjoyed looking at all of the produce and unique items they sold in the market. I bought an apple/vanilla tea – which is LOVELY, btw, and then we strolled home, where Heinz and Julia prepared a lovely dinner with a melon and ham appetizer and a nice fresh salad. It was a restful, much needed day, and I’m glad that it happened at the 1/2 way point of this wonderful trip. Tomorrow, Julia and I are hoping to explore Oldenburg and are praying it cools down a bit to make that a fun day!

Author: Merry

I am a teacher, techie, avid traveler and explorer. View all posts by Merry