Well, we’re back, sort of. We arrived in New York early last month and spent the following three weeks zigzagging throughout the east coast, catching up with our much missed family and friends. We spent some time in both Manhattan and Brooklyn riding bikes and enjoying fresh bagels and smears. We then headed up to Buffalo to visit Andy’s family and picked up a classic 1998 Toyota Camry to drive back to Denver. Road trip! But first, let’s talk tap water. After spending the last year paying for bottled water at every dining establishment, it’s been SO nice to be served clean(ish) and free tap water at any dining establishment. But I digress … After touring a Frank Lloyd Wright house and fully utilizing Buffalo’s 4AM last call rules, we left the Queen City and headed down to Philadelphia. Along the way we made quick stops at the Corning Glass Museum and Binghamton, NY to visit family. In Philly we stayed with grandparents and were fed appropriately. We participated in a colonial walking tour and ate cheesesteaks, how could we not? They actually were better than I expected. Next up we moved further south to Onancock, Virginia, home of Adena’s mother and stepfather. Of course we had to make a stop along the way in Berlin, Maryland for the town’s annual Fiddle Festival. We spent five days relaxing on the Eastern Shore, kayaking, boating, eating clams and fried chicken, etc. While it might not be the easiest place to access, it was sure worth the trip. We then turned west and sped through Asheville, Nashville, St. Louis and Kansas City before arriving in Denver last week.

The last week was spent attempting to get our lives back in order. Moving back into our house, dealing with the DMV, cable companies, banks, etc … all the fun first world “problems” that we surely didn’t miss over the past year. However, we both agree that it was time to come back. The trip was a massive success and we have no regrets for our decision to embark on this adventure; however, when you’re on such a stringent budget, more expensive Western European countries do eventually take their toll on the wallet and psyche.

It’s a weird feeling coming back to a place you knew so well just a year earlier. While we didn’t think about it much while we were away, things do change back at home. People get engaged, married, have kids, get new jobs, new business pop up while others fade away. It’s sort of like what the Cambodian’s say, “Same, same but different.”

There are aspects of the past year that we will dearly miss. We will miss our freedom, our ability to get up any day, anywhere and at any time. Each day could be an adventure, a swim in the ocean, a motorbike ride through the mountains, eating some delicious dish of God knows what. And it’s up to us to try to bring that mentality back to us here at home. And while we certainly aren’t looking forward to sitting under fluorescent lights five days per week, we both feel fortunate to have jobs, and to have great family and friends we hope to spend time with over the foreseeable future. We have learned so much about the world, about ourselves and about others. It’s really about the people, isn’t it? There are things that can’t be taught in a textbook and we are both extremely grateful that we had this opportunity.

So in short, would we do it again? Is that really a question? Maybe that’s the wrong question. Maybe the right question is this: when will we do it again?

Thanks for reading, we truly appreciated everyone’s comments, encouragement and generosity along the way.  If you ever need a travel tip, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Andy & Adena – Round the World Travelers