The Austro-Hungarian Empire

I begin this chronicle with an apology: last Thursday, just a biased chronicle of day, writing in the staircase Memmingen airport departure lounge with the promise he would make an overview of the trip in on Friday. I´m sorry i haven´t time and head.
Since Friday I went into the normal rhythm of work who was one week away from the office. At Loba, top it off with a new desk, the stack of client meetings, emails and projects to analyze were more than many.
There was no head because whenever I come ride, especially from countries in Central Europe, I get a colossal hangover. I love Portugal and be Portuguese, but contact with people - middle class - who live well, not ostentatious way, they face the future with hope, makes me think of all that we suffered in recent years. When I travel through forests and see business in these forests such as tourism, honey, berries and I think that in our country the forests serve to plant eucalyptus, forgetting the traditional mounted, the stone pine, oak, chestnut , etc., I feel sad.
Travel the world first-call, as I did on this trip - Germany and Austria - and other previous - Switzerland, Denmark or Sweden, to name a few recent examples - helps me realize what is strategy, territory planning and above all political; at its most real and pure term.
They don´t destroy mountains to pass a highway, especially if no one is spending it. Don´t see wind fans in unique landscapes and world heritage. They don´t build on lakes and small towns do not have buildings of 10 floors next to single-story houses. The local products are sold in fairs and markets without control over an economic police, promoting agriculture towards sustainability and better remuneration for producers. Ect., Etc .. Don´t see a series of errors that proliferate around here.
However I know that Portugal, unlike the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, suffered a major civilizational late on twentieth century. It was a long dictatorship and nouveau-riche atrocious. But if we look good examples out there, we can still recover.
Leaving a hangover aside and returning to trip, start by telling why, instead of a bike I drove a car. The bike I had rented, after all, was not available and an equal but in another station cost me double. The budget doesn`t stretch but I need to make a style trip. With a car could "earn" a day trip and, therefore, to see another city.
So, nothing better than renting a convertible. A beauty TT  that with stickers - especially the heart of Chel and Drew - was to kill for. All week with top down, whether it was cold or heat, sun or rain. Always in style and sunbathing.
Attention, here began one of the travel problems and, therefore, advise one thing: always rent a car on an international company and be careful with rental conditions. I can´t say here, is for the talks, but i dreved a few days as an out-of-law!
The route of the trip ranged between nature and cities with history. The Alps, the Tyrol, the Austrian lakes or the Hungarian Balaton.
City-states like Salzburg, the beautiful Ljubljana, Buda and Pest, Vienna or the cosmopolitan Munich will be forever in my memory until the day of return.
As you know I often travel alone and this time was no exception. It's great to meet people like Bilal, but loneliness can affect; and this time affected.
In the lectures I give about motivation I often say I can not be in the middle of a trip and think, "I want to leave." This time it happened. I suffered and wanted to leave. I suffered and didn´t know what to do.
With monologues and a giant phone bill for Spain and Switzerland, I keep going. I took refuge in the best of me, the purpose of the journey and not think about anything else. I focused and stick with the plan.
My head is still there; but I have new goals, new projects.
Within a month I go to Australia but, by then, will emerge news.
As the trip data is more than 2,100 km traveled, 7 days trip, 246 km / h top speed with roof down, 257 km / h with the roof on top. Hostels, local food and lots of beer.
Auf Wiedersehen.