RD TRPPE! Europe in 35,000 easy kilometers

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I lived and travelled in Europe for about 6.5 years, but there were many places that I did not visit. The goal of this trip was to go to places that we had not been to. For the most part, we drove around in Roswitha's (my wife's) brother in law's Mazda minivan, staying in hostels and guest houses.

We covered so many places that it is impossible to pick a favorite, or to even make sense of it all. However, there were a couple of interesting themes, which came from the coverage. The influence of the Celts was seen all over, and sometimes in surprising cases, like the time that we stopped in a small town in Northern Spain, and were surprised by a parade which featured bagpipes. We saw (and Roswitha ate) Bacalao (salt cod) in Spain and Portugal, visited places that salt was harvested, and then saw where it all came together in Bergen, Norway, where the Hanseatic Traders exchanged salt for salted, dried cod. We also visited many places that alcohol was made, from Sherry in Jerez, Spain, to Port in Oporto, Portugal, and traced the brandy that was used to fortify it from Cognac in France. We followed the barrels to Ireland and Scotland to see and sample whisk(e)y. Finally, we toured a beer brewery near Graz, Austria, where Roswitha is from. And there was the the chocolate.

We drove 35,000 KM (and boated, railed, and flew a bit more), and shot over 36,000 photos. Many photos are of the food we love to seek out and eat.