The Journey Home

So, we finally dropped the van off in Innsbruck and began our marathon north to Copenhagen for our journey home. 

In 10 days we: 

• Trained from Innsbruck to Munich (2 hour train, plus delays)

• Spent 4 nights in Munich 

• Trained from Munich to Hamburg (4 hour train)

• Spent 2 nights in Hamburg

• Trained from Hamburg to Copenhagen (5 hour train, plus delays)

• Spent 2 nights in Copenhagen 

• Flew 9 hours from Copenhagen to Chicago

• Spent 2 nights in Chicago 

• Flew from Chicago to Houston where we began our journey 444 days prior. 

For us now this sounds INSANE,  but for most Americans, this is a normal European vacation…. We DON'T recommend this approach (but more on that later).

Since we only got a taste of these cities, here are our rapid fire takes for each. 

Munich: It was nice. First impressions had us way more partial to Berlin over Munich but we didn’t see much beyond the central sites. We did visit a very cool and unique Christmas market that was a Medieval themed market (gave major Ren Fest vibes) which was a big highlight and something different from the many other markets we have seen. 

Hamburg: Hamburg was awesome. We only got 2 nights there but are very committed to returning. So we will save our words for when we do. 

Copenhagen: Not our favorite. One of the most expensive cities we have been to (for accommodations, food, restaurants, transit, everything). It also all felt a little homogenous. No spunk, sass or edge. And we like our edge. We would not probably return if it wasn’t for our round trip ticket that will eventually put us back there. 

Chicago: A second home for us, we only stopped here because our bargain SAS ticket meant we had to. We ate some of our favorite Chicago foods, which we found way less satisfying after all we have seen and done, and visited the Chicago christmas market (ALSO way less magical having been to the “real” thing). It was an interesting re-introduction to America to say the least. 

Side note: In case you missed our note in our last story…. Trans-country training has NOT been reliable for us. EVERY trans-country train we have ever taken has had delays or issues. This marathon was no exception. If you are in Europe and intend to travel by train between countries, be prepared for delays. It could just be consistently bad luck for us, but it’s more likely the challenges created by having two different train operators for each country.