A Round the World Adventure

Yesterday, we achieved what would have been impossible anywhere in North America – we comfortably visited four countries in one day.

OK, so comfortably included a 5 AM wake up call, the occasional stuffing of a passenger into the trunk, and healthy discussions with local policemen and authorities, but it was certainly exciting!

Our day started in Austria, where we left from the Castle in Millstatt to drive to Trieste, Italy. A friend told me before we left that in order to officially visit a country, you must have a meal in that country (or at least some food outside of an airport) so one of my (Sarah’s) personal goals was to not just step foot in a country, but to actually enjoy enough of it that WE would remember it for more than just a passport stamp.

So we had cappuccinos in Trieste, Italy, and wandered the city, hopped in the car and drove to Slovenia where we had “elevensies” gelato near Koper-Capodistria, and continued to Umag, Croatia, for wood-fired pizzas and a drive through the Croatian countryside. On our way home, we stopped off the side of the road in Slovenia to swim in the Aegean Sea, and made it back to Austria in time to enjoy burritos, an Austrian shopping experience (when they throw the groceries at you, turns out they AREN’T angry at you), and an incredible message by Damian Kyle at the Missions Conference.

Perhaps the most memorable part of the day was the aforementioned stuffing in the trunk. Basically, we brought 6 people in a car that seats no more than 5 (and bear in mind that European cars are very nice, but not super-sized like American cars), and when we reached the Croatian border, we discovered that an unnamed member of our group had forgotten his passport. Not to be deterred, we simply stuffed a different person in the trunk, prayed hard, and went to a different border crossing. I don’t know if that was a godly use of prayer, but we made it in and out safely, and with stamps on almost all of our passports.

And on the way home, Sarah slept in the trunk. Turns out it was more comfortable, if slightly more claustrophobic, than the car. Four countries, one day, and memories to last a lifetime!

PS – If you don’t know them, our traveling companions for the day were: Josh Spera, who wins a prize for driving stick shift through all of Europe (and thanks to James for the loan of his car), Joel Jurekovic, who continually reminded us that we needed to take a day trip adventure, Andie Overholt, who lights up our lives, and John Funke, who is as fun as his name sounds.