27 days · November 28 - December 24, 2023 · Milan · Salzburg · Budapest · Bratislava · Vienna · Prague · Berlin · Copenhagen · Hamburg · Amsterdam · Bellach · Helsinki · Rovaniemi · Istanbul

European Winter Wonderland

In November I left Milan with a rail pass and no fixed plan past the next city: a slow loop through nine countries, three weeks of overnight trains and short hops, before turning north for a week inside the Arctic Circle and then south again to Istanbul. It ended, like the year did, on a flight home to India to meet family. Here it is, one day at a time.

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Milan, Italy · 28 Nov 2023
An Open Zipper in Milan, a Sprint for the Platform

European Winter Wonderland

An Open Zipper in Milan, a Sprint for the Platform

The Last Boat Out of Hallstatt

Mozart's Doorstep, a Glass Hangar

A Rainy Day in Budapest, Then a Walk

An Unplanned Stop in Bratislava

Bratislava's Castle Hill at First Light

Vienna, Twice Over: Mozart by Day, Karlskirche by Night

A Quiet Street in Prague, Lit Gold

The City That Photographs Itself

A Christmas Market Shaped Like a Bell Tower

A City I Had Already Seen in the Movies

A Bus That Drives Onto a Ferry

A Square Full of Giant Dogs in Malmo

A Last Look at Nyhavn's Colorful Harbor

Amsterdam Lit Up Gold After Dark

A Last Day of Bikes and Canals

An Empanada Truck in Zurich

A Waterfall in a Mossy Gorge Near Solothurn

A Day Loop Into the Black Forest

Lake Geneva for One Last Afternoon

A Flight North to a Different Europe

Suomenlinna's Sea Fortress by Ferry

Oodi, a Cathedral, and the Night Train North

The One Splurge: Dinner at the Arctic SnowHotel

The Santa Claus Express, South Again

A Delayed Night Flight to Istanbul

Both Sides of Istanbul, Then Home