My favourite two countries would be Greece and Turkey. They were both the most unique and different of all European countries that it felt that I was somewhere completely different from North America. The people were friendly, the food was great, and the scenery was spectacular.

In Greece, my favourite island is Santorini. Scootering around the island was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Being the first time I drove a scooter and scootering in such a beautiful island that had breathtaking views everywhere, I couldn’t believe I was there.

Turkey left a great impression on me as it was the country that gave me the largest culture shock. Arriving in Marmaris I was overwhelmed at the difference in the country, people, and food. It turned out to be a great detour in my trip as I went to one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited in my life.

The Turkish people are also the friendliest people that I’ve met throughout my trip (not including other Canadians of course!). Cappadocia was amazing for its scenery but Istanbul was great as a huge city with rich culture and different regions within walking distance.

My least favourite place that I visited would be Bordeaux, France or Madrid, Spain. While I’m sure both are still amazing in their own ways, my particular experiences in both places weren’t the greatest. Bordeaux was freakishly cold while I was there that I ended up catching a cold myself. While it is famous for its wines, my winery tour had little to desire for. I’ve had much better wine back home. The city didn’t really overwhelm me like other places either.

I arrived in Madrid on a Monday night. It certainly didn’t feel like the city that doesn’t sleep, which I’ve heard it was called on numerous occasions. The city was nice, but nothing too special to note. The paellas that I tried were also somewhat of a disappointment. I’m sure if I had a local to tell me where to go, I would have had a much better experience.

France had really great cheap wine, the best baguettes that I’ve ever tasted, and great pastries everywhere. Italy always has amazing food. Its pasta, seafood, and gelato are on the top of my list. One place that really surprised me was Greece. The moment I tried their Greek Salad, I fell in love with it. The tomatoes they used were to die for. Wherever I went the tomatoes were just amazing; they were even better than the ones I’ve had in Italy.

35 rolls with my SLR; 1 roll with my instant camera; 1 roll while I was hang-gliding.

Yes, but you can’t worry yourself forever. As long as you’re aware of the fact that people may be targeting you, then you should be OK. I never lost sight of my camera pack, not even for a single second while I was out. While sitting in restaurants I would have it by my side, or if it was on the ground, I had it looped with one of the legs of my chair. At night I had it locked up in a locker or had it by my bed. One thing I did do very well in my hostels was hide the fact that there was a camera in there to begin with. I don’t think many people knew that it was a camera bag so I wasn’t too worried about anything happening in the hostels.

Not at all. I loved the freedom I had and the fact that I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. If I wanted to stay somewhere longer, then I did; I didn’t have to worry about asking anyone else. I met many other single backpackers, many of them women, some travelling a lot longer than I had been. Kudos to them!

Some. Everywhere I went, I was told that the tourist season was particularly low this year. They weren’t sure whether it had to do with the euro or the Olympics or the terrorism scares happening worldwide. Because of this I lucked out. Many guidebooks often tell you to book far in advance – some even months in advance – however I quickly learned that I didn’t have to do that in many of the places I went to.

I booked in advance in London, Paris, Barcelona (which I made a mistake by booking far away from La Ramblas), Vienna, and Brugge. I found hostels to be more booked during the latter half of August, however I still lucked out in many places by showing up the same day and getting a bed.

I stayed in hostels wherever there was a hostel in the city. If there were no hostels, rooms-to-let would have been an option or a one-star hotel, which was the case for me in Milan, Italy.

A lot. I haven't calculated the exact amount but if you want to know a rough estimate, then you'll have to download and read my europebound PDFzine!