It's been almost a year and a half since I returned from my tour through Europe, and I still haven't wrapped up my travel posts. (In fact, I'm barely halfway through them.) This, my friends, is how I know I'm a world-class procrastinator.

While I find it incredibly enjoyable to share my travel experiences on my blog (and hope to continue to do so in a more timely manner from now on), writing about the trips I've taken is, I'll admit, somewhat challenging. Sure, it's easy to summarize the things we did and saw in each city, but I can't imagine how boring that must be to read! Especially when nothing I say will ever do the real thing justice. So the question remains: How does one thoroughly (and creatively) depict a month of endless travel and adventure through mere words?

Well, I'm still trying to figure that out. But one thing's for sure: long-windedness is the root of all evil when it comes to these sorts of posts. So, for your sake, I'mma keep it short. (She said.)

If I could choose to live in any of the cities we traveled to last summer, Munich would definitely be at the top of my list. Its laidback vibe, booming nightlife, and friendly people reminded so much of Austin that it made me nostalgic for my college days. But before we even made it there, the coach dropped us off at what used to be the Dachau concentration camp. Walking through the museum and around the grounds was both incredibly eye-opening and deeply moving—an experience I'll never forget. Kristen and I were so absorbed in our thoughts that we almost missed the bus to leave two hours later, and we ended up sprinting about half a mile to the exit, flip-flops and heavy backpacks flailing about. From there, we took a more lighthearted detour and stopped at the BMW Welt, where several different colors of my favorite car (the Mini Cooper) were on display.

Once in the city, we had about 30 hours to explore. Within that time, we stumbled into a gay pride festival (where we befriended David the traveling Irishman), toured the city on pink beach cruisers, ate lunch in a bustling beer garden, and attended Holy Mass at St. Peter's. But the best moment had to be when we jumped in the Eisbach, an ice-cold channel that runs through the middle of Munich. Once you jump, there's no turning back—it will carry you like a leaf all the way downstream. After passing beneath the second bridge, we were instructed to get to the side and jump out as quickly as possible so as not to hit the brave souls surfing the waves. Even though making it out was somewhat treacherous, Kristen and I couldn't help but go for round two.