And then it was over.

I have finally returned after 180 days of (mostly) sun and (occasional) sand, wearing shorts and thongs, carrying heavy bags, navigating the metro systems and streets of the biggest cities in the world, 74 hours on ferries (in San Francisco, Niagara Falls, New York. English Channel, Adratic Sea, Agaean Sea, Strait of Gilbraltar, Miyajima), 10 languages, 18 countries (one every 10 days), and 4 continents (5 if you include Australia)!

Kyoto was incredible and had far too many temples and shrines, and yet for some reason I attempted to visit most of them in 2 days. This involved rather a lot of hiking and photos. However, they were invariably beautiful, as were the surrounding gardens and bush.

A day trip to Nara consisted of more temples and hiking but was great, and the day in Osaka, a massive metropolis similar to Tokyo, was a welcome change with bizarre modern Japan on show.

Osaka's America-Mura is a huge sprawling shopping/commercial district consisting of American obsessed and inspired clothing/entertainment/food shops more confronting than any such area I saw in America or anywhere else for that matter.
The huge strip of electronics shops in Den-Den Town stretching a kilometre down the main road rivalled Akihabara (the equivalent and no less incredible Electronics district in Tokyo).

After 5 nights in Kyoto, I headed down to Hiroshima on the Shinkansen and swiftly made my way on the steetcar to the Peace Memorial Park in the centre of town, which unsurprisingly was a powerful experience.

To disembark a tram in a modern looking city and suddenly be confronted with the A-Bomb Dome, the standing symbol of what had happened 60 years ago, is hard to explain.

The other memorials and museums at the site were equally moving, and particularly relevant just a week or so after the North Korean Nuclear Test.

There was an exhibit in the museum with a wall of letters from the mayor of Hiroshima sent to countries each time they conduct a nuclear test.

Surrounded by such sadness and devastation, the names of the recipients of the last two letters were perhaps the saddest part: Kim Jong-Il on the 10 October and George W. Bush on the 30 August.

From probably the saddest place in Japan to perhaps the most beautiful: Miyajima, the island just off the coast of Hiroshima,
with its famously stunning red, half submerged Torii Shrine entrance gate.

I spent the afternoon there hiking the mountains and spending 2 hours as the sun set looking at one of the most
beautiful scenes of my entire trip (and I've seen a few).

From Hiroshima, I returned to Tokyo on my last day, via a half day in Himeji, the site of the most famous castle in Japan.
Maybe it was because I was castled out (as I mentioned previously), but I wasn't that impressed with Himeji Castle,
but by this stage I was probably sub-concsiously on the way home.

And so, the next day I boarded the Qantas flight to the sounds of some appropriately patriotic music (Tenterfield Saddler)
and a welcome quality entertainment system (Shame on you Lufthansa and United).

And then it was over.


Some Top 5ish Lists I thought might be interesting:


Countries (by time spent in....)

1. USA
2. England
3. Spain
4. Italy
5. Morocco
6. Japan
7. Greece
8. France
=9. Germany, Canada
=11. Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic
=14. Portugal, Belgium
16. Monaco
17. Vatican
18. Mexico


Countries (by Excitement about....)

1. Japan
2. Morocco
3. Spain
4. Greece
5. Italy



Big Cities

1. New York
2. Tokyo
3. Paris
4. Rome
5. Prague
6. Barcelona
7. Kyoto
8. Amsterdam
9. Chicago
10. Munich



Islands

1. Miyajima, Japan
2. Capri, Italy
3. Ios, Greece
4. Paros, Greece
5. Alcatraz, San Francisco


Hikes

1. Cinque Terre, Italy
2. Nevada Falls. Yosemite National Park, California, USA
3. Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
4. Wachau Valley, Austria
5. Todra Gorge, Morocco


Beaches

1. Mediterranean Sea between Barcelona and Valencia, Spain
2. El Saler, Valencia, Spain
3. San Sebastian (would have been higher if it wasn't cold and wet), Spain
4. Essaouira, Morocco
5. Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Greece

Interesting Meals

1. Escargot, Paris
2. Pigeon, Morocco
3. Fatburger, USA (Where else? A nice contrast with 'Freshness' Burger in Japan)


Best Meals

1. Moussaka, Athens
2. Swordfish, Paros
3. Roast Lamb, Madrid
4. Okonomi-Yaki, Japan
5. Paella, Valencia


Beers/Beer Halls

1. Augustiner Keller Beer Garden/Hall, Munich
2. Hofbrauhaus, Munich
3. Most in Prague
4. Bush, Brugges, Belgium
5. Everywhere else in Munich!


Bizarre Places

1. Tokyo
2. Marrakech
3. Las Vegas
4. Monaco/Cannes
5. Location shoot of Bourne Ultimatum, Tanger, Morocco


Natural Scenes

1. Sahara Desert, Morocco
2. Grand Canyon, USA
3. Rocky Mountains, Canada/USA
4. Amalfi Coast, Italy
5. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
6. Austrian Alps

Ancient Structures/Cities

1. Acropolis, Athens
2. Colosseum, Rome
3. Pompeii, Italy
4. Alhambra, Granada, Spain
5. Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto


Modern Structures (since 1800)

1. Eiffel Tower, Paris
2. Statue of Liberty, New York
3. Big Ben, London
4. Empire State Building, New York
5. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
6. Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota
7. Berlin Wall, Berlin


Memorials

1. Memorial to the Murdered Jews, Berlin
2. Dachau Concentration Camp, Munich
3. Peace Park, Hiroshima
4. World Trade Center Site, New York


Palaces

1. Versailles
2. Madrid
3. Buckingham


Museums

1. British Museum, London
2. Musee D'Louvre, Paris
3. National Archaelogical Museum, Athens
4. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
5. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
6. Vatican Museums, Vatican City
7. Museo del Prado, Madrid
8. National Gallery, London
9. Tate Modern, London
10. Musee D'Orsay, Paris
11. Getty Center, Los Angeles



Churches / Temples

1. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican
2. La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
3. Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto
4. Kiomizudera, Kyoto
5. Notre Dame, Paris
6. Daibutsu-den, Nara, Japan
7. Duomo. Florence



Activities

1. Camel Trek, Sahara Desert, Morocco
2. Grape Grazing Tour (Wineries, Hike, Bike Tour, Swim in Danube), Wachau Valley, Austria
3. Night Bike Tour, Paris
4. Dinner at Sunset, Cinque Terre
5. Kingston Mines Blues Club, Chicago
6. Rodeo, Cody, Wyoming (and Bar afterwards)
7. Karaoke, Tokyo
8. Gondola Ride, Venice
9. Berlin Pub Crawl10. Wine and Cheese at Sacre Couer by night, Paris
11. Bullfight, Seville, Spain
12. Munich Beer Crawl

Hostels

1. Gojo Guesthouse, Kyoto
2. Oasis, Granada
3. Sir Toby's, Prague
4. Wombat's, Vienna
5. Citystay, Berlin


Worst Hostel

1. Hans Brinker, Amsterdam... That is all.


Festivals I went to

1. La Tomatina, Bunol, Spain

Festivals I just missed

1. Il Palio, Siena, Italy
2. Love Parade, Berlin


Beautiful Scenes

1. Eiffel Tower by Night
2. Louvre by Sunset
3. Sahara Sunrise
4. Sunset in Greek Islands
5. Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima at Sunset/night
6. Colloseum at Sunset
7. Acropolis at Night
8. Grand Canal, Venice


Best Places to Ride Naked in an Elevator

1. Shomen Onsen, Kyoto



Adrenalin Rushes

1. Dragster, Cedar Point, Ohio, USA
2. Rock Climbing, Todra Gorge, Morocco
3. Driving on Mykonos


Traffic Jams

1. Arc D'Triomphe, Paris
2. 4am in Madrid
3. Amalfi Coast

Tram Systems

1. Amsterdam
2. San Francisco
3. Vienna
4. Berlin
5. Hiroshima


Most Expensive Cities

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Vienna
5. Florence


Least Expensive

1. Marrakech
2. Prague



Places I want to go to now

1. Inca Trail, South America
2. Eastern Europe
3. Asia
4. Africa