I'm Halfway There! Time to Chill (in the middle of Tyrol!)

As of 26 June, I have symbolically reached the halfway point of my European trip - and actually more than halfway through my round-the-world trip too.

It definitely feels like I've reached the halfway. I feel I've hit a slight flat patch in terms of motivation and energy - not surprising after a month that has been like an exponential curve heading upwards and upwards with every new city and experience.

It has been one heck of a trip; one that started with a bang with one of the best decisions I've ever made yet: starting the tour in Bern after catching the train from Frankfurt that morning.

Since then, I've been to Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich, Como, Milan, Florence, Siena, Rome, Verona, Venice, Vienna, Krakow, Oszwiecim, Warsaw, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Salzburg, Mondsee, Innsbruck & now Fulpmes, a little village in the Subital Valley in the Tyrol.

And there's still a month ago.

I guess it's apt that halfway through my trip really feels like halftime - people don't really come to Fulpmes for the nightlife so it should be a quiet two nights before going back to the bright lights of Munich.

My highlight so far? I think going to Krakow and then seeing Oszwiecim where the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps are located has been the highlight of the trip in a light or heavy hearted way. Going to see the concentration camps is an experience I'll never forget. Thankfully, the people at the hostel - guests or staff - and the experiences there certainly more than lifted the mood. Krakow itself is a pretty cool city and a pleasant bargain that still isn't too touristy just yet.

Of course there have been plenty of other great highlights.

Plenty of good kebabs too - best one for me was Mustafa's in Berlin's Hackescher Markt. There was some pretty good Asian too in Berlin I might add. Italy was definitely the best place for food - budget or premium.

Best trains? Still the Germans & Austrians although the Italian high speed trains are pretty good now. Polish trains were definitely the worst for facilities as we're the Czech trains. Although there is something romantic about being in your own cabin in a train.

Surprise of the trip? Finding out how cheap Poland is. You can live like a queen easily here if you come from
a country with a strong currency especially with beer at the supermarket sold at an equivalent of €0.80.

Anyway here are 20 of the best pictures so far. Who knows what this next month will hold - there's Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, Madrid and Lisbon still to come..