After a full loaded and stressful school year, I was desperate for my summer holidays to start. But this time it would be different than all the other summers that I had ever had. Usually we were trying to stuff our suitcases and catch a flight to Germany. When doing that we had to be very careful and thoughtful with what to take with us and be by our senses all the time until we arrived at our destination.

Yet this time the plan was a different one. This time we wanted to use our new car on a different trip back home. It should become a 1,377 km trip by over the Adriatic Sea  and Alpine roads as our way to get to our summer holiday destination, which is Regen, Germany: my mother’s hometown. I knew it would be very different and exciting for my mom and I. Since this trip, and with it the whole summer, was going to be different, we started packing two days before we left, trying not to forget anything, especially travel guides and maps. At least this time we did not have be scared to exceed the weight limit with our suitcases.

The long awaited day had come and we took the highway from Tirana to Durres, where the ferry would be waiting for us. Boarding the ferry with the car was a bit chaotic, mainly because there were lots of trucks and many more passengers who also really didn’t know how the procedures were. With some hours of waiting on deck, watching the trucks from all around the Balkans park on the front of the ship like a puzzle and having conversations with other people, the boat finally took its course to Italy.

When we realized that our ship had reached the next port we were surprised to learn that this was not yet our final destination, Triest, instead the port of Ancona. We were so eager to see the city of Ankona. We asked the crew member at the reception if we could depart from the ship for a few hours until it would leave the port of Ancona. He responded with, “This a ferry, not a cruise ship.” We were quite sad to learn that we were not allowed to leave the ship.  In all, we had to stay on the ship for 7 to 8 long boring hours. Even though there were many signs all across the ship, were claiming that there was free wifi on board everywhere, it never worked. While waiting, I realized that most of the people on the ship were nice tourists, often from Germany. They shared their experiences from across traveling Albania. Once the ship had left the harbor of Ancona, it felt very empty, most truck drivers had left, leaving the canteen largely unpopulated.

As we were heading for our final destination, in the late hours of the day, we could see a wonderful sunset. Dolphins were accompanying our ship. The longer I was on the boat, the more I felt a sort of timelessness. At last the boat felt like a small separate world with its own timezone different from all the others that existed. It was a huge difference compared to the hectic flights that we always had in the previous years.

The moment the ship reached the harbor of Trieste, we were drawn out of this different world and timezone. It was as early as six o’clock in the morning when my mom and I became suddenly captains of our own vehicle that would take us through the second half of our journey.

We started by strolling a little bit through Trieste, but relatively quickly wanted to continue our way to Slovenia and that is when we found the beautiful town of Piran on the coast of the Adriatic sea. From Piran, it was only a short distance to the neighbouring town of Portoroz where we to stayed in a small motel over night. After being tired from all the driving and walking around on the hot adriatic coast, we were longing to drive home. On our last “leg” of the trip home across Slovenia and Austria we discovered the beauty of the caves in Slovenia. We also went to a stud of the rare breed of Lipizzaner horses. To be honest, although it was quite boring in some ways, I do not regret going there.

When arriving home in Bavaria, I was still thinking of the feeling of how the time had stopped around me on the ship and how unforgettable this summer journey was for me. If I had the chance to, I would go back to this adventurous summer trip anytime. Although my mother was quite tired of all the driving she said, “What a beautiful experience! It was so different from all our previous years! I will always remember that.”
I answered by saying, “I really want to do this again next year and even spend more time on the road. But for now, I have had enough adventures and want to see my friends and relatives and, most importantly, I want to sleep in my own bed.”
Now that I am back in school I realized how fast good times can pass and how important it is to keep positive memories alive.