In some ways Europe almost seems too close to America to qualify as 'away'. I studied abroad outside of Paris back in the mid 80's, and my first self-funded travel brought me back to most of western Europe thru the 90's. I was shooting film back then, and missing a lot more shots than I was hitting, so I consider those years "training". When my camera and skills improved in latter years, I considered western Europ "bien there, done that" and moved onto more remote locals. My shots of the Eiffel Tower wouldn't light anyone up.

So in 2018, while planning my latest "escape" I found myself mapped thru Petra, in Jordan and looking north. You don't know how much you miss something until it's gone. I had gone three months without seeing anything green or growing, coming across the the north of Africa. When I got off the bus in downtown Bucharest, I just stood by some trees in the rain, a Romanian mist to remember.

There would be a lots to remember over the next few months, painted monasteries in Romania, St. Stephens in Hungary, the Wedding Cake Church of Slovakia, tramping up and down the Vltava in the Czech Republic, the culinary delights of Krakow and the Balloons of Cappadocia. Brink your camera, loosen your belt a notch and book the ticket.