During our week in Poland, we received a great introduction to the country, a ‘primer’ of sorts. We wanted to learn more about this country’s culture and its turbulent history. In addition, we wanted to view its natural features by bus and train.
We did not have the budget to cruise down the Norwegian coast and see the fjords by sea. So we pieced together an overland itinerary to see as much of this scenic country as possible.
As we approached our first trek in Europe we knew that it would be unlike anything we had attempted to date. We would also be trekking in one of the harshest environments in the world, in Lapland, located above the Arctic Circle.
Sandy writes about her return to Sweden 30 years after she was an exchange student in the country.
We have spent the past few days in the capital cities of Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland. The two cities are located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) across the Gulf of Finland from one another. We enjoyed learning about the history and culture of both places.
After over three months in Asia, Europe is the next continent on our journey. Our new experiences began with our first stop in Europe, Latvia.
Uzbekistan has been long synonymous with the Silk Road. After leaving Samarkand we split our time between visiting two Silk Road cities and experiencing the rural village countryside.
Now that we have completed our three months of travel in Asia, here is a country by country summary of our food experiences, covering Nepal to Uzbekistan, during the second part of our time on this continent.
We have been in Uzbekistan for about a week now and are amazed at what we have seen and at the warm welcome we have received from the local people.
Located in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is one of the most remote countries on the planet. The Kyrgyz people have historically been nomadic herders. Our 12-day journey provided a glimpse into this nomadic way of life as we traveled by road and foot through this mountainous country.
When we initially built our Trekking the Planet itinerary, we had a little problem connecting the dots. The journey between Lhasa, Tibet and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ended up being the most complex of the trip to date.
Our ten-day visit Tibet was fascinating from both a cultural and natural perspective. However, it is what happened leading up to our arrival and what took place during our time there, that makes us, four months into our expedition, feel truly blessed.
