Halfway

Well folks, here it is, the halfway point. I've been in Europe for four weeks, and I have four to go. I can't believe it's only been four weeks because it seems like so much longer. I've learned a lot about backpacking across the continent, and where I used to be the one asking advice, now I am the one dispensing it to the nervous, naive n00bs.

So how am I doing? Well, it's been really tiring. I often lose track of days, simply keeping count: one day in this city, three days in the next. I have not gotten a full night's sleep in a hostel yet, and I don't think I will; it is just the nature of staying in a hostel. Every day I do around 10-12 hours of going around, the great majority of that on my feet and walking. But I don't feel tired during the day anymore, maybe my stamina has improved or maybe I just ignore it. However, the chances of me falling asleep when I do sit down somewhere is increasing exponentially. Do I miss home? I miss the U.S. I miss being able to communicate effectively with the people around me (besides other tourists) and I miss not being surrounded by strange people all the time.

My equipment is holding up well, fortunately. My pack is doing a great job, but the contents are starting to show their wear. About a third of my clothes are approaching the realm of falling apart, and another third will soon join them. My shoes are wearing through the soles at an alarming rate, but I think they should last the rest of the trip. My pocket camera bit the dust a while back, so my big one is doing all the work now.

But things are still going very well. Everything is running smoothly and every day I see something new and great. The question then comes around: is this fun? This is a question I've discussed with other travelers. It's definitely excitingand there are definitely lots of fun things to do, but the overall traveling aspect is very stressful and tiring. There are always those times when you arrive in a strange city in the middle of the night with no sense of direction and no clue where to go, and of course nothing's in english, and you ask yourself why in the world you are doing this. But then day breaks, and you see the sun rising over the city's bell towers and you get an answer.