After a whirlwind month back packed with reunions, wedding, new babies, and work life in North America, I resumed my world tour with leg 2: Europe!
I kicked off this leg in Berlin, arguably one of the main catalysts for this year’s Sinventure. Berlin is a city I immediately connected with when I visited back in 2015 for the first time. There’s order, but an underlying rebellious spirit that I love. It’s very much a city, but there is a ton of natural beauty throughout it. I knew I wanted to spend more time in the city, and thankfully, my work life has allowed me to do so this past month!
Brandenburg Gate at sunset. Pretty spectacular, no?
Perk #2 is having a buddy here - my work buddy Will is based in Berlin, and it was nice to have a friend to meet for drinks, workout, dinners...and even some work days in between. Added bonus: he serenades me all the time and is SO INSANELY talented. (I’m his new manager, so contact me for bookings.)
The Berlin Baes: Will, Alex, Manu
Berlin has given me beautiful riverside walks, fantastic architecture, lots of delicious meats and beers, and even a voguing ball!! I could easily live in this city - except for the fact that German is so incredibly difficult to learn, and my brain can’t handle that (google the german word for five).
Best part of this view? It’s all over the city.
I was able to take a few day/weekend trips while out here, adding 2 more countries to my list. They were:
Schwerin: A little town about 2 hours west of Berlin. The main driving force behind this choice was...(drumroll please)...a castle DUH. Well, more of a palace, but I’ll allow it. The palace is surrounded by a ton of lakes, so it was a natural photo op from every angle.
Schwerin Castle. Wouldn’t mind living here.
Durstein/Vienna, Austria: A list of top 50 wineries in the world came out. My first move? Pick one close to me and get there ASAP. And that’s how I ended up in Durstein, Austria, a little fairy tale town along the Danube River, just outside of Vienna. It checked off a number of requirements: a new country, wine, and a castle! (In ruins, but still amazing - also where Richard the Lionheart was held captive!) Walking through this town, I kept singing “This Provinicial Life” from beauty and the beast (wrong country, I know, but you get the picture). I did make a quick pit stop in Vienna as well - the architecture was stunning, and I’ll definitely be back sometime to explore it further.
I mean, if this is the view Richard the Lionheart had while captured, it wasn’t all bad, right?
Szczecin, Poland: A charming little Polish town just 2 hours east of Berlin. It had beautiful architecture and pierogis - not bad for a 20 euro jaunt to another country.
Szczecin, Poland
And now, my bags are packed again. I’m headed to CROATIA! I’ll be based in Split for the next month. Get ready for the most basic photos and posts - island hopping, boat trips, and wine tastings will be happening aplenty. #sorrynotsorry ✌🏽