In summation

So, here’re the finer details of my trip. Enjoy.

Length of Trip: 182 days

Countries visited: 16 + the Vatican City (England, Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece)

Cities visited: 73 (London, Sheffield, Manchester, Keswick, Edinburgh, Mayen, Koblenz, Bacharach, St. Goar/St. Goarhausen, Trier, Bonn/Bad Godesberg, Cochem, Lübeck, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugges, Maria Laach, Monreal, Freiburg, Strasbourg, Colmar, Berlin, Potsdam, Jena, Weimar/Buchenwald, Erfurt, Dresden, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Füßen, Lindau, Bregenz, Feldkirch, Vaduz/Schaan/Malbun, Gimmelwald/Mürren, Gryon, Lyon, Toulouse, Rennes, St-Malo, Paris, St-Affrique, Carcassonne/Preixan, Valencia, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, Lagos, Lisbon/Sintra, Madid, Toledo, Barcelona, Figueres, Marseille, Frejus/St-Rafael, St-Tropez, Genoa, Verona, Venice, Florence, Siena, Athens, Perissa/Fira/Oia, Hydra, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, Rome)
Capitals visited: 15 (Zurich was the only one I missed)
Books read: 19 (Harry Potter 1-5 auf Deutsch & 5 in English; The Fourth Hand, John Irving; Trainspotting & Porno, Irving Welsh; Bonfire of the Vanities & A Man in Full, Tom Wolfe; The Rules of Attraction & Less Than Zero, Bret Easton Ellis; Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood; A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess; Rhine River Mythology; Pride and Prejudice & Emma, Jane Austin; Bridget Jones: Schokolade zum Frühstück)
Highest city visited: Gimmelwald/Mürren
Lowest city visited: Amsterdam (I visited several cities right at sea-level, but I believe most of the Netherelands are actually below that)
Most expensive city: London
Cheapest city: Tossup between Warsaw and Prague
Large bodies of water visited: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, English Channel, Bodensee, Aegean Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Derwentwater
Warmest water: Valencia
Coldest water: tossup between Lagos (!!!) and the Eisbach (in the English Gardens in Munich, where you’re technically not supposed to swim)
Places I lived a week or longer: Mayen, Berlin, Madrid, Munich, Athens, Barcelona, Florence
Places I could see myself living: Berlin, Freiburg, Granada, Gryon, Athens
Top 5 surprises (good): Edinburgh, Barcelona, Freiburg, Venice, Athens, Verona
Top 5 disappointments: Lisbon, St-Affrique, Siena, Seville, Capri
Shadiest public transit: Greece
Rainbows seen: 3

Gryon, Switzerland

Aprox. Weight of backpack: 15 kg
Coolest hostel pet: Pudding’s Ghost
Top 5 hostels: Gryon, Athens, Barcelona, Granada, Valencia
Worst hostel ever (not including the scary place in Amsterdam where I stayed 3 years ago):
Paris

Best food: Greece

Top 5 museums: Tate Modern, Reina Sofia, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Jewish Museum (Berlin), Hygene Museum
Scooter crashes: 1
Best view from a bathroom window: Gimmelwald (damn! That Jungfrau’s a sexy bitch)